


Consequences

by Lybra, Translations (SweetAlphaChild)



Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Heavy Angst, M/M, Mental Health Issues, Pining, Slow Burn, Trauma, War Trauma
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-14
Updated: 2020-02-11
Packaged: 2020-03-02 15:54:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 27,682
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18814144
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lybra/pseuds/Lybra, https://archiveofourown.org/users/SweetAlphaChild/pseuds/Translations
Summary: Uchiha Obito is both victim and victimizer of war. A war veteran who believes himself unable to feel human again. Deidara belongs to a younger generation that won't manage to avoid war, either. Can Obito be able to care about his partner, or will he succumb to his instinct to use him as another weapon for the coming war and revenge?





	1. Trauma is like an open wound in the mind

**Author's Note:**

> Written by: Lybra  
> Translated by: SweetAlphaChild

War veteran? Can a child be considered a veteran after his first fight?

Survive. What was it to survive? It wasn't living. It wasn't how life was supposed to be. Survival? It wasn't how life should be. He wasn't alive.

War had left him nothing. His life could be summarized in two things: he and a rock. He didn't know who did it. He used to wonder about it, but his hatred for Rin's death made him forget quickly about the matter. Perhaps he should have met that person. Perhaps, someday there might be something else in his life apart from the eternal repetition, like in a movie, of a rock over his crippled, discarded, incapacitated, disabled body. Vulnerable. That horrible scar that was his face. Which defined who he was every morning in those hideous and dry furrows, gray and lifeless that he saw in his reflection, that he felt under his hand over and over, as in a film. That contrast on his face that he tried to hide. Because he didn't want to be seen.

He didn't want to be seen by anyone.

What would Rin have done? The question no longer made sense. His life started again when that rock killed him. And ended finally with the death of his team mate, a story written in blood, which he'd rather have Kakashi as the only survivor. Let him rot in his own grief every time he had to tell the story, having to remember how he couldn't protect Rin.

"Tell me about her", they would ask him very soon. And Obito, or rather, 'No One', wouldn't know how to speak to another human being.

He was totally sapped.

He wasn't a person, but he wasn't a tool.

He was the "human" carcass left behind. The spoils. Obito Uchiha had always been, he thought, the spoils.

What did he do in a past life that was so bad? He didn't feel his own being anymore. Coldness froze his kind heart to the core. The day the child died, the possibility of becoming the good man he dreamed to be also died. A good man like his sensei, to whom he delivered to death.

Because in term of taken lives, Obito got the worst luck. Or at least, that's what he thought. He would have preferred to take Rin's place. Then, his whole life would have had a different meaning to the one it had now: the day a rock paralyzed half of his body.

Damn that rock. Damn The Rock.

Every day, he wore a mask for tactical purposes. Every day, he hid from a plant that his scars hurt deep down and didn't want anyone to see his battered face. What became of his willingness to train to save his friends and take care of Rin? When he saw her chest pierced by Kakashi, everything went back. His life went back, and he remained stuck in a dark hole with a Rock imprisioning his lungs. Him, carrying a corpse, the corpse of his beloved. And a rock crushing him and the river of blood.

As soon as he developed his mangekyo, inside he found nothing but cube-shaped rocks the first time he visited it. Then he knew, that his life would be as arid as a rock. Because that's how his mind was, too.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This idea came up after watching a documentary about war and the human race. Obito's feelings and experiences will be those of a "war veteran". I think it's one more aspect of the character, since Kishimoto at the end of the series becomes obsessed with the issue of war and its consequences. Even though Obito is often seen as not having anything else behind the same old "Rin, Rin" story, he isn't a flat character at all, but I think his untimely death prevented from diving deeper into his psychology, which in itself is very particular in the short time (in my opinion) he appeared in the story.


	2. To be and not to be somebody

Melancholy was endless. As well as his inability to hold a conversation. Obito couldn't develop any further. And still, that brightly-coloured boy repeated a sterile question.

"How was she?"

Obito blinked behind his mask. In a trice, that teenager had destroyed his Tobi role. And he was demanding to know what was in that desert. He could get mad for how foolish it was to inquire about the desolation of a desert landscape. But that was too much to ask, because anger was a person's emotion, it implied having an ego and his had been crushed by a rock. Obito, or 'No One', couldn't get mad about that. His eye remained static, still, wide open. Unable to see or look at anything. He couldn't listen or understand his partner.

Deidara stood in front of him.

"There has to be something. Obviously, it's a woman. Tell me about her."

He demanded and demanded. That boy only knew how to demand.

Obito kept zoning out, Tobi was dead.

Deidara gave him a soft smack near his ear. Blue shining with badly repressed fury.

Poor Deidara, he didn't know how to get a hold on himself. "Let me show you first-hand how it feels when a rock falls on top of you and then you speak to me, kid from that cursed village".

Obito was contradictory, but he hadn't noticed that yet. He was supressed, therefore he was No One. And at the same time, a dark ego dominated him without him even being aware of it.

Because a feeling had remained. Resentment. And it was drying him out little by little, more and more. As soon as they sealed the three tails, Deidara would have to die. That boy reminded him too much of Iwagakure. Only that the miserable brat played with clay while his eyes shone with vitality. And Obito lost said vitality during the war. Deidara didn't have a clue. Didn't have a clue about war. Not until they destroyed his life, as they did to him.

If he had any strenght left, he would hate him. But he had to keep it to be the eternal guardian of a world of illusion. The one he compassionately wanted to give to everyone, since he loved and hated them all. He refused to think about it, because he would end up forgiving. And he didn't want to forgive anyone. The curse tag which Madara had placed on him wasn't enough to pacify his other half that had no visible scars. Or better, the left half of his face and body that carried on, blind but unharmed, threatening to keep something of a wounded inner child who wanted candy and dreamed about being Hokage.

Hokage... One more title to declare war for. Another position of power that killed. At least Deidara detested power, enough to stand him as partner.

Lucky bastard, Obito ignored that in reality he envied him. He didn't know he hated the passion radiating from that boy for his supreme love for something mutable and not subject to a person. Deidara was intelligent in that sense. That's how he should've been. Nobody forced him to love Rin. The Uchiha curse of hatred was his perfect excuse.

But he wouldn't think about it, he wouldn't reflect on anything, because deep down he knew that murdering and ruining so many lives, with its corresponding consequences, was wrong. Something even worse would be waiting for him. And Obito was a coward who decided a long time ago to flee from responsibility, and blame the world as he prepared to destroy it.

And no question about how Rin used to be, would soften his rock brain. Because that, that was already pointless.


	3. A veteran must toughen up

Deidara stirred with impatience. Tobi had been acting funny for the last few days. At first he brushed it off, since the masked man was the most annoying thing that had happened to him lately. But that night when Tobi disappeared while he was supposed to stand guard, he freaked out. When Deidara woke up shortly before dawn, he realized that his partner wasn't there. He soon noticed that he didn't feel his chakra. And he started looking for him. They had left on a mission in search of some important scrolls for the leader. And silly him, he had let Tobi keep them. What was he thinking? Sure the dumbass had been kidnapped or something. His heart quickened and his lips pursed. Where was Tobi?

He moved fast among the few trees. Tobi hadn't bothered to erase his tracks, and apparently he was alone. Deidara didn't understand what was going on, looking for any signs that he might be being ambushed. Even Tobi could be deceiving him. He really wasn't concerned about defending Akatsuki's interests. But the organization sponsored his art, and it was quite comfortable to have their support to practice it every time he wanted. He would have to recover that scroll, and although he didn't completely trust him, he believed himself strong enough to beat Tobi if deemed necessary.

He stopped on his tracks. He was on the outskirts of a small village. He distinguished a well-known tall silhouette, black contrasting with the cream and orange of the dawn sky. Akatsuki. Gently chewing his clay, Deidara approached him.

"Tobi!"

The masked man looked at him sideways without flinching. Deidara chewed more clay.

The silence was strange. He felt a vein throbbing in his forehead. That idiot always tested his nerves.

"Tobi, tell me what you're doing," he spoke in a dismal voice.

His chakra was clearly recognizable. His left eye didn't see any genjutsu. Tobi's chakra seemed calm, but strangely heavy. Deidara frowned at the lack of reply. He looked around, examining his surroundings.

A cemetery. What was Tobi doing standing in front of an old grave?

* * *

 

A cemetery. Obito couldn't understand how he got there. His feet had taken him like a sleepwalker to that semi-abandoned field in ruins. Sometimes it happened to him when he couldn't sleep, that he wandered about aimlessly. The night before there was no moon, so he was a bit surprised when the dawn caught him standing at that place.

He stopped in front of a grave, where the name of the deceased could hardly be deciphered. As far as he could see, they hadn't lived long. Surely they died during their childhood. It was evident they hadn't reached adulthood. Walking around the place with reluctance, he read the names absent-mindedly. Rushedly carved, without epitaphs, and looking down the hill, he could see an abandoned village. A place destroyed by war. He tried to remember its name, since it had been destroyed years ago as a consequence of his own commands. Curious to have stumbled upon that place. But he didn't recall much about it. He had been involved in the destruction of many places. He had handled many border conflicts. Peripheral villagers like those didn't escape the reach of his orders and manipulations. The truth was that he couldn't even remember the name of the place, nor all the reasons that would have led to the end of it.

Obito couldn't retain so much unimportant data.

At that moment, he was standing in front of another grave, a mound covered in weeds. A bit higher over the floor level, it was clearly a mass grave. A shapeless rock served as a tombstone. There were no names, but suddenly he sensed there was a whole family down there.

Obito felt a bit odd. Conscience?

No, conscience was what those who started that war almost twenty years ago should have had.

The Hidden Rock had played dirty. Too dirty to kidnap Rin. Too dirty to target children. Who did they think they were? Obito wasn't going to take any responsibility for those deaths. For that cemetery. He also had a tomb with his name in Konoha.

Still, he could be remembered, while most of those dead people were anonymous. No one would ever know of these people's passage through the world. No memory of them at all.

Was life so pointless?

If that could be considered life. That was survival. At least, for sure it was what those people did until death arrived. Briefly he wondered if they could be revived with the Infinite Tsukuyomi... No, he shouldn't care about that, or think about those things. The dead were just food for the grass.

Like Rin. Thinking about that filled his chest with fury. Unable to care about respect, he kicked the gravestone, glaring at it. It reminded him of the Rock. The rock that changed his life. Damn those rocks, damn all the rocks. Rin would still be alive without Iwagakure's invasion, because then nothing would have happened, and when Kirigakure struck, Obito would have been there to protect her, to prevent them from harming her, he would have given his life for her without thinking twice. Sixteen years had passed, how old was that kid? Surely if Deidara hadn't been born, Rin could still be alive, althought said statement didn't make much sense. Even if she never returned his feelings, he was okay with that. But no, the village of the Hidden Rock had to get lucky that day, they had to kidnap Rin. While he was losing his life and leaving a promise to fulfill that would later be broken, Obito was sure that noisy partner of his was being born. Fortunately, Deidara was his tool, another one that would pass away without an epitaph or tombstone.

Or perhaps it would be better to resurrect him with the Infinite Tsukuyomi, suffering the eternity he hated so much for having lived when Obito died. When his old life died.

He shook his head. He shouldn't miss his past. The facts had already been written. He would be the guardian of the Tsukuyomi.

So infuriating. Not being able to enjoy unconsciousness like the rest. Obito hated that, he hated everything, but he knew the kid had nothing to do with it. Even so, if he stopped cursing Deidara in his mind, he would have to look again at that cemetery and feel guilty. For his responsibility behind it. For the huge consequences that being the heir of Madara Uchiha carried. And that he had accepted. He didn't plan to feel regret and leave guilt consume him. Never again. It was better to blame others, even if that made him a coward. Maybe that way, he could take it out on Deidara on days like those.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It hurts to write Obito that way. He's my favourite character in Naruto but I cannot portray him like an angel from heaven either. Hope you understand.


	4. Looking for culprits

"Tobi!"

Great, he had summoned him with his thoughts. The terrorist was there. How could Obito have let his guard down like that? Calmly, he caught a glimpse of him through the hole in his mask.

"Tobi, tell me what you're doing."

Maybe Deidara was wary of him. He could feel his chakra mixing with that strange substance, his clay. Better to go back to his usual role.

"Ah, senpai, weren't you sleeping? I thought I'd go for a walk while senpai dribbled like a toddler."

His sneer came out a bit too aggressive. Obito couldn't help it, a while ago he was angry at life, as he liked to be every time he found time for himself. Even so, Deidara seemed unaware, or uninterested at that detail. He only exploded, like he always did.

"You idiot, hm! Why the hell did you stop standing guard!? Answer!"

It was so wearisome having to pretend to be a dumbass. Fortunately, Deidara was stupider enough to believe his act. Like everyone else. He quickly improvised a reply. He didn't expect his partner to wake up early, or that he himself would stay until so late on his nightly walks knowing he wasn't alone.

"I thought I felt a strange chakra and I ended up here. I left Deidara-senpai alone because he's so grumpy that nobody would want to take him hostage anyway. Did they take you hostage, senpai?"

Deidara had to contain a snort. Tobi disappearing with the scrolls was too sketchy to get distracted by his silly attitude. But it was him, there was no doubt. Maybe it was true that he was looking for enemies, that would explain his odd attitude when he first saw him. But he wouldn't lower his guard.

"The password."

"Huh?" Definitely he wasn't the sharpest tool in the shed, Deidara thought.

"Tell me the secret password, hm!"

"Ah, ah! You're right senpai! Let's see, how was it?" Tobi placed his hand under his chin, as if he was making an effort to think. If he was even able to do so. What made him think that he would remember it? 

"Done!" Tobi's fist hit the palm of the opposite hand. "I've remembered!"

 _'And I am going to kill you if you keep playing hard ro get'_ , he brooded. If stupidity was the only filter, he would have guessed already he was the real Tobi.

“'Art will be an explosion when it hits Tobi'. How did I do it, senpai?"

Deidara took a deep breath. Yes, that was the stupid password. It hadn't been a brilliant move to allow Tobi to come up with what followed 'Art is an explosion', the idea had been to let him add his personal touch. Damn troll. Tobi was trying hard not to giggle. Still not trusting him, he created a clay centipede and extended his left hand.

"Then, I'll carry the scrolls."

Tobi approached him too fast for his liking. Shaking the documents, he went to hand them over to Deidara, but in the last second he raised them above his head.

"Why can't I carry them?"

"Because you go for walks alone and can't trust you to take care of your ass on your own! Give them to me before I blow you up, hm!" He had ran out of patience again. If he were a civilian not only he wouldn't have time for his art, he would also have to make room in his agenda to go to a psychologist. If at least that possibility was contemplated in the Akatsuki, but Kakuzu wouldn't want any extra expense. The stingy bastard.

Tobi quickly dropped the scrolls, some fell on Deidara's head, and from there to the floor.

"Oh, sorry, senpai…!"

Now he did. He did think seriously about doing 'criminal' couple therapy with Tobi. Or better, he could kill him after picking up the scrolls.

Obito made a grimace like a barren smile behind the mask. At least annoying the hell out of that brat was the fun side of Tobi's role. He would ask him about his birthday, just to be sure he could turn it into another target for his hatred.

"Deidara-senpai, may I know how old are you?"

Deidara seemed surprised, but spun around to start the return trip.

"Nineteen, why? How old are you?"

A pity, Obito thought. If he was sixteen, he could use the coincidence as an excuse to hurt him for Rin's death. He suspected it, but he wasn't there to remember that insignificant data. He could always hate him for the simple fact that he was from the Hidden Rock.

"Senpai is so old! Guess how old I am," Obito stood on his way, raising his fingers one by one. Deidara walked past him closing his eyes.

"I don't care," he wouldn't respond to his taunting about him being old. Because Deidara would rather not think about how soon he would be in his twenties.

"Oooh, senpai! It isn't fun if you don't try to guess it! Could it be that you're scared of being older than Tobi?"

Deidara's hands started to chew on their own as if there was clay on them. It was a tic he was developing, and Obito had noticed it recently. Winding Deidara up was the most fun thing he could do in days. Hating him would be so much better.

"Perhaps senpai doesn't want to guess because his sensei in Iwagakure was another little old man," he hissed with malice. Remembering that eternal Tsuchikage pissed him off further, that Onoki had sent those ninjas to invade Konoha when he... Enough, he was no one. Past didn't matter.

"Is Deidara-senpai a bitter old man?" he went on.

"Enough! I don't care about your age because you're too damn childish! Now shut up for the rest of the way!"

Perfect, just what he wanted. Silence so he didn't have to play Tobi. If that stupid Sasori hadn't died so soon, he wouldn't be doing his job and pretending to be such a character. Damn Konoha ninjas. Damn Sasori. Damn Deidara. Damn them all. If Deidara hadn't acted so reckless, as it was usual of him, Sasori wouldn't have had that unfortunate fight against two foes. Sasori had also died because he was vulnerable to his past. Another reason to never again remember his old identity.

On the other hand, Deidara carried on living as if nothing, without showing a shred of respect to his fallen partner. Not like he would have done. But then again, _he was no one_. Deidara was smart and a good ninja in that aspect. Envy hit him again. If Sasori had been too stupid, Deidara had been too smart, and the fact pissed him off equally.

Obito didn't know he wanted to be like Deidara. That's why he'd rather humiliate him with that 'senpai' thing. Because to laugh again without it being true was like a slap in the face.

Because he had lost his laugh.

And Tobi laughed constantly.

He didn't stop to think that he could have created Tobi's character in a different way. Nor why he finally chose to give his persona those traits. It was better to think that Deidara was to blame.

For letting Sasori die, he looked like Kakashi letting Rin die. So callous.

Obito knew that Kakashi hadn't been indifferent to his partner's death. But he wouldn't accept that anyone else showed more grief than he did. And neither, that they walked through life as if their pain wasn't the main thing in their existences. Like Deidara. The more he analyzed it, the more flaws he found on him. But he wouldn't take care of that, Deidara was to blame.

Obito refused to be guilty of anything. He clenched his fists. This time, his chakra felt too weird to ignore the fact. For his part, Deidara couldn't help but get suspicious about his partner. They would lie to him if they told him he wasn't _weird . Tobi took hesitant steps around the cemetery. He couldn't decide to follow the path he was clearly leading him to, to return to Akatsuki's headquarters. And his attitude, there was something violent about it. It had been a few weeks since Deidara started mulling over something. He stopped his walk, went back into the cemetery boundaries and stood in front of Tobi, staring at him, the sunlight hitting his face, making the blue of his eyes shine._

__

"How was she?"

__

Obito wasn't expecting that. He froze from head to toe, losing the thread of his spiteful thoughts.

__

_“What?"_

__

Deidara insisted.

__

"There has to be something. Obviously, it's a woman. Tell me about her."

__

It wasn't as if Deidara liked to make such absurd conjectures, but if there was a reason as equally stupid as accurate, it was the love of a woman. Darned if he didn't know that Tobi was somewhat older than him, and enough of an idiot to suffer lovesickness. He stuck to that conclusion after noticing his partner refusing to leave the cemetery, in specific, one of the tombstones.

__

Silence spurred his impatience again, and he gave him a soft smack on the side of his head.

__

Obito remained silent. Blue eyes, half furious and half curious, thoughts of hatred, recaps of his life, his darkness against that ray of light that suddenly threatened him in the most unexpected way, a gray and opaque cemetery being invaded by a yellow dawn and more colors, in an ironic allegory of their situation. And the lightning struck again.

__

"This graveyard... You... You lost your girl, didn't you?" Deidara tried, looking at the tombstones around him. Specifically, the one that was at Tobi's feet. It could seem odd to him, but maybe he was in love of some girl, and she rested there. "Well? You can tell me, that would be more interesting than your age, hm."

__

Obito wanted to run away. Too much time lost in his own world, he had underestimated Deidara's intelligence. It was obvious, they had been partners for less than a year and he had fallen into his annual depression for the anniversary of Rin's death. Deidara had never seen him like that, and Tobi wasn't ready to completely pretend that the rock wasn't tied to his back.

__

Deidara crossed his arms. His pose could have looked cute to anyone other than Tobi, or Obito at the time.

__

"Deidara-san, what are you talking about? I don't..."

__

"Ha, I knew it. So it's about a woman. You never addressed me with '-san' honorific," Deidara took a step forward as Tobi took one backward. "I finally made you shut up. But right now, I want to hear your grating voice tell me something interesting for the first time."

__

Obito's mind suffered a short circuit. He felt as if those eyes were undressing him, and he was no kekkei genkai user. Just a hint of curiosity behind a pair of sapphires. Deidara had removed the scope he wore in his right eye, and moved his bangs to one side to look at him better. With that damn smug smile of his.

__

Deidara was really curious.

__

Obito was really frightened.

__

He felt even more stupid and vulnerable when he pushed Deidara away with a blunt blow with the side of his arm, walking quickly to get away from the boy. Deidara cursed and Obito turned around, only to see that it had been disastrous enough to knock him to the ground.

__

"Fuck it, Tobi! What do you think you're doing!? I am your senpai!," he spat, rabid, red with anger.

__

Obito faded away in the air through a swirl. Deidara was left with a curse stuck in his throat. While Obito fled in desperation to his mangekyo, he suddenly remembered that Deidara had his eyes fixed on a tombstone while he asked him if he had lost his girl. What a fool he was, he could have taken the chance to make him believe that, indeed, that was the tombstone of someone he had loved. Although it would have been annoying to deal with it later, he could always sneak out. Or maybe he couldn't. But the worst thing was that he had failed miserably in his role as Tobi in front of a pawn. A mistake he had never made. And all because of his night strolls and Rin. He grabbed his head with both hands and let out a desperate howl.

__

Deidara watched as the swirl disappeared. He was stunned by Tobi's reaction. He hated that the masked man wouldn't show him what he really was. What the hell was he supposed to...?

__

"TOBI, I HATE YOU!" he yelled at the air while he couldn't hold the damp cloud that fogged his eyes and slipped down his cheeks.

__

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok, I shouldn't have gone so far Dei. I insist, the characters sometimes write themselves on their own. He just can't repress the curiosity he feels toward Tobi. Deidara is Deidara, he doesn't repress anything, he only makes things explode.


	5. Wild River

What did he mean he was his _senpai_? Did the fool really believe he could boss him around? He was but an ant that he could crush with his own hands if he decided to! Deidara wanted to get everything out of him. He wanted to peek into the deepest of his secrets. He didn't ask about his age, or his face, but he wanted to know about Rin. Deidara wanted to eat him, tear him apart. He wanted his life, or what was left of it. All ninjas from the Hidden Rock were the same. All of them had that tendency to drag him to an avalanche of which he ended up being the only prisoner. Silly him. Obito felt bad, and for the first time in a long time, his eyes watered. He didn't want anyone to see him. Or see through him. He was too shameful to show himself, too flawed for that world, or for such an apparently perfect guy. Tobi's humilliation game had turned against him like a mirror's reflection. He didn't know what to do to fix it, forgetting even the relativity of time inside his mangekyo compared to the outside world. Several cubes collided, bursting on thousands of rocks. Obito couldn't think of a single miserable plan, a pathetic excuse. He had exposed himself to a teenager. What kind of war veteran fell into that? He wasn't even good at lying to a child. 

That blue was deceiving, it seemed innocent, but it was deep like a wild river. And it had dragged him to its depths. Obito buried his head between his knees, while the cubes went on causing earthquakes and he remained isolated in a floating rock in the black sky.

\-------------------------------------------

He didn't care if there was a woman. No one had the right to treat him like that. Let him get lost. Deidara returned to the base and handed the scrolls to Pein, who pierced him with his eyes as he asked about Tobi.

"Don't know, I'm not his babysitter, hm," Deidara snorted, spinning around. When Tobi came back, he would make his art reach him for once. Pein sighed wearily and whispered something to Konan. Deidara returned to his room, but, pissed off as he was, he soon went outside to throw some bombs. No one would lay a hand on him, not if it wasn't in a battle. Tobi was the most disrespectful thing he ever met. And he refused to accept that his rejection had hurt him deeply. Deidara didn't lie to himself to escape responsibility as Obito did. He wasn't a coward, he was just stubborn.

Although he did lie to himself, believing others could fall into the 'mistake' of loving, but not him.

Furious, he took a deep breath after the last explosion. He didn't bring enough clay, damn it. Something smelled fishy in the whole Tobi issue, and Deidara knew that if he tried a bit, he would discover everything. His theory that there was a woman was true. But he didn't want to know anything at that moment about his idiot of a partner. Maybe he should have reported to Pein that he had behaved suspiciously during the mission... Since Tobi hadn't yet returned, the leader would drag him back by the ear if necessary. Or maybe kill him. Well, it wasn't a big deal either. But he wouldn't be asking for mercy on Tobi's name. Let him apologize. He wouldn't speculate any more. That idiot wasn't worth the hassle. Deidara left all his suspicions about Tobi aside and went to look for more clay. He couldn't help nearly using it all when he remembered that there was a woman involved. His blood was boiling, but the only thing he could do at that moment was to go away in his hawk and bomb some place far away from the hideout.

 

\------------------

It was late when Obito returned to their room. He felt a bit hesitant, apprehensive as he opened the door, at the thought of facing Deidara. He gritted his teeth and stepped into the humble shared room.

Relief washed over him when he noticed Deidara wasn't there. Maybe he got offended, after all he was quite hotheaded and took everything personally. However, the most important issue, was that he had raised Pein's suspicions that very afternoon. But he had fled again to think about which lies he'd tell Deidara. After calming down, he became aware that he still needed him in his plans. Obito himself had sent the others to recruit him, he couldn't undo his plans, basically because he didn't have anyone to replace him either. He needed Deidara to be calm and trusting him. And regaining his trust seemed a difficult task.

Slowly he took off his cloak, took his sleep knife and got into his futon. The next day he would talk to the boy. He truly needed to rest. When he was about to close his eyes, the door opened with a familiar abruptness. A pair of feet remained hesitant on the threshold, until they decided to cross it. It was Deidara.

Obito sat up like a spring.

"Senpaaaaai!" his shriek was so raucous that even his own ears ached. Deidara's grimace wasn't better. Fuming, the boy walked to his own futon and quietly began to undress while he opened the sheets with his restless feet.

Obito decided to resume his performance with the commitment he had lacked in the morning.

"Senpai, are you mad at me because of what happened earlier? I want to apologize."

Deidara yanked off his small t-shirt, dropping it to the floor nonchalantly. Obito took note of it, but he had to make him speak no matter what. Otherwise, Deidara would be staying for hours in his mind, and he couldn't afford to play with time. It was crucial to make it look like 'Tobi having a bad day'.

Deidara sat on his bed and Tobi tried again:

"Deidara-senpai, I'm so sorry for the way I treated you today. It's just I…" He made a convenient pause, no too dramatic, while he tapped both his index fingers against each other. "I'm too shy to talk about some stuff, senpai."

Deidara wasn't even looking at him. That wasn't a good sign, normally, getting him to pay attention was easy.

"Deidara-senpai…?"

"Enough, Tobi, go to sleep. It's late already."

That wasn't Deidara's voice. It sounded oddly broken. He had to keep playing that stupid role.

"So, senpai has forgiven Tobi? I'm so ha-!"

"I said go to sleep. I'm not talking to you. Not today, hm," he sounded too bosy. Something wasn't right. "See you never, Tobi," he said gritting his teeth, he covered himself with the sheet and turned his back on him.

Obito was shocked. He was a great manipulator, a very experienced one, but never before he received such... Snub? Something about the young man seemed resentful. Was he really going to get offended so much by a mere push?

"Senpai..." He tried again, measuring his words. Deidara's back tensed.

"I said go to sleep. I wanna rest."

Obito understood there was nothing else to do at that moment. Supressing a sigh, he tucked under the covers, closing his eye.

"Because of course, you can go to sleep while I stay awake, huh? You piss me off and then you go to sleep, thinking that I will too, hm. Well you know what, I'm tired of your bullshit games, hm!"

He talked fast, like a continuous barking. Obito opened his eye and his jaw dropped. What was going on with the terrorist? Wasn't he about to ask him awkward stuff? That didn't seem like the stubborn Deidara he knew so well.

"Yeah, yeah, always the same, you piss me off, then you play fool and go to sleep. Just like the way you ran away today. You vanished into thin air. You coward. If you didn't want to tell me anything, you should have said it earlier. Why did you have to run away?! Oh I know why, because if it isn't to annoy me, you never lift a finger, hm!"

Now Obito was left puzzled one more time in less than twenty-four hours and by the same person. But what the hell was that, was it some kind of... reproach?

"Senpai, I don't understand…" and that time, he wasn't lying.

"Of course, you never understand anything! They saddle me with the biggest idiot in the whole organization, I'm always saving your ass, you have naps during missions, today you nearly lose the scrolls, the boss frowns at me and you come back at whatever time you feel like coming! They breathe down my neck all the time because of you, but you bugger off for hours and no one says anything. Do you know how frustrated I am?"

Right, Obito didn't expect that kind of reaction. It seemed that Deidara had really exploded. It was better to take advantage of that to settle the issue of his suspicious behavior in the morning.

"Senpai, I never thought... You would be so affected. I only wanted to cheer you up after Sasori's death," he quickly improvised. "That's why I act like that with you. But I didn't want to diplease Deidara-senpai, least of all getting him in trouble! I'll go tell the leader to tell me off instead," he ended up standing up gracelessly, as only Tobi knew how to do.

But Deidara stood up faster than him, blocking the exit. Furious, he pierced him with a wild glare half hidden by messy locks.

"You're not going anywhere. Doing that will change nothing. And I don't need any favours from you, hm. Because I don't need anything from you! Do you understand!?" He yelled like a maniac, stomping on the floor with his right foot.

Obito couldn't believe it. He was witnessing a proper tantrum. He deserved it for allow him to catch him offguard. At least, that way it would be easier to regain Deidara's trust. He felt as if soon he'd be wrapped around his finger again. He just had to give the kiddo some candy and he'd forget about the really important questions.

"Senpai, I am so sorry!!" He replied, with his usual high pitched squeaky voice and shielding himself with his hands to protect himself. He had to show him how he cowered. Such a pathetic act, cowering in front of a spoiled brat.

"You aren't sorry, you massive asshole!" He roared in his face. "Do you know how much it took me to convince the boss that I hadn't killed you and left your body out there somewhere, hm!?"

Obito knew he was lying. Pein hadn't told him off, because he himself had contacted him before the young terrorist returned to the hideout. It seemed, that Deidara was lying to have more excuses to have a go at him.

"Why don't you answer!?"

"Senpai, I..."

"Shut up!" He spat, pulling his hair. Deidara's chakra was out of control, as he could tell. And he had that gaze of total madness that appeared every time he was about to blow up something really big. Obito shuddered and swallowed thickly.

Wasn't he supposed to not let himself get intimidated by such a brat? Deidara was full of unpleasant surprises.

He decided to stay silent.

"So?" He asked, glaring at him, seething blue bored in the hole of his mask.

Ah, Deidara was a selfish rude brat. He should have taken that into account earlier, the was the craziest 'artist' he had ever met. He wondered how he ended up recruiting him and Hidan. What a pair! But at least Obito had managed it, Deidara was back to his old self.

"I am sorry and I'll never wander off without senpai's permission again," he said bowing his head and fiddling with his fingers.

Deidara gave him a smug smile. Obito hated that sign of superiority and dominance, as if being his senior made him his owner. The blonde nodded at their futons. Tobi went to his.

"Good night, Deidara-senpai! Senpai is so kind for forgiving Tobi!" he said as he covered himself up to his neck.

Silence.

It could be that Deidara was still a bit miffed. Nothing that wouldn't go away after a couple of explosions while training.

"So?" Weary, Obito opened his eye again. He definitely wanted to sleep. He had an extremely stressful day.

"So!?" they yelled, next to his ear. Obito sat up so suddenly that his head hit against Deidara's, who hadn't managed to retreat in time.

Deidara was glaring at him with terribly repressed anger.

"So, let's settle this, you doofus. I forget you pushed me down in your pathetic flight if you tell me about the girl you loved, hm," his eyes brimmed with curiosity.

Obito's heart leaped again. Luckily, his apparel and mask hid away his flushed skin. No one ever had badgered him like that about Rin.

He refused to believe it, but he had to do it when Deidara dragged his own futon next to his, sat down hugging his pillow and stared at him, expectant.

"How was it that Tobi dumbass fell in love? And who was the poor unlucky girl? He asked, unable to contain a giggle of... Complicity?

Obito knew it. That was gonna be a shitty day. But he couldn't stop himself from replying.

"'Is'. Don't speak in past tense."

Straight after saying that, he bit his lip. He had just made it harder for himself. He felt he still loved Rin, but no one had to know. Not if he was a no one, a product of the war. Deidara's smile faded in an instant as he gave him his dirtiest glare. The Uchiha thought it was because of his slip. He hadn't realized that Deidara's knuckles were turning white from squeezing his pillow too hard, and he believed that the disdainful way in which he gritted his jaw was out of distrust instead of anger. Deidara's nostrils widened dangerously.

"You raise your voice at me because of that witch, hm?"

Nope, Obito wasn't gonna allow that. Rin wasn't a witch, Rin was, had been, the love of his life...!

He lowered his head. No, he was no one. He wouldn't allow himself to feel like that again. He felt dirty. For some reason, remembering the pure love he felt for the girl that was his team mate during his childhoold made him feel dirty when he compared it to his present self.

And Deidara was there. Wanting to enter, pushing without permission a door zealously closed for years. How had he found it? Obito was aware that, at least in that, he hadn't been wrong. He looked at the boy, who was still staring at him with that I'm-your-senpai-and-you'll-tell-me-everything face of his. He cursed the power that always went to people's heads.

He desperately needed to go back to his previous performance.

"Forgive me senpai, as I told you, I'm too shy to talk about some stuff. I… Don't wanna talk about that."

"Hey, if you want me to forgive you, tell me about her, hm. How was she? She's dead isn't she?"

He felt nauseous. If there was anything worse than Deidara distrusting him, it was Deidara reminding him about his non-history with Rin.

"Tobi, I'll be honest," he sighed, leaning back a bit as he combed his hair with his fingers, looking at Obito with those huge feline eyes and broad forehead. Obito hadn't noticed until then. "If you don't tell me anything, and you owe it to me for how much you make my soul age every day, I'll have to remember that your behaviour today seemed quite sketchy, hm. Didn't you want to get my trust back?"

Deidara was straightforward like a bullet. Had he seen through his act? Obito felt as if the ground would open at his feet, and a known old hell would welcome him. He felt again as if a Rock was crushing half of his body, but he suppressed the panic attack in time. He hadn't practiced it for so many years just to let himself be carried away like that. Although what he wanted the most was to flee again and catch his breath.

The boy pulled a swirly lollipop from under his sheets. Wasn't it the one he confiscated last week?! He felt a twitch in his eye and a squeeze in his gut.

Deidara started to lick the lollipop, making as much noise as possible. He had told him he didn't like sweets because they were bad for the teeth in all his mouths. He had told him he always brushed his teeth before going to sleep. And there he was, nonchalantly breaking all his rules in exchange of information like a gossipy old lady.

Tobi let out a loud sigh. In truth, Deidara had no priest nor laws to follow. Deidara did what he wanted, like an overflowing wild river that made its way to any place, ignoring the folds of geography.

"Mh, you could start, "he licked. "Talking about her hair," he licked again, this time louder. "Just as he always told Tobi not to do it so _he wouldn't annoy other people._ "What colour was it?"

__

That time, Obito didn't have to pretend to be Tobi to twist his head to his right.

__


	6. Let's talk

"Brown."

He surprised himself when the answer came out of his mouth.

"Whoa, you actually get serious when it comes to her," Deidara stopped licking for a moment. "Was she your girlfriend?"

Obito blinked.

"No… She wasn't, senpai."

"Mh, I guess that," _slurp,_ "she saw you as the annoying dumbass you are, am I right?"

"No, she… She liked someone else."

"Oh! A teammate for sure. You know, sometimes I thought they put us in groups of three just to form love triangles, hm. That level of immaturity in Iwa teams never ceased to amaze me. And which village were you from?"

The masked man shuddered, clearly nervous. He agreed with Deidara's theory about love triangles, he actually had believed that too when he was a kid. But being questioned about his place of origin rang all his warning bells.

Deidara seemed to realize it and hurried to add:

"Oh, your origin doesn't matter, after all we're all shinobis. I guess mine is harder to hide, isn't it? After all," _slurp,_ "I always wanted my name to be known beyond Iwa, hm."

Nonchalant, Deidara ate the lollipop without looking at him. He seemed to be immersed in his sweet little world. Obito envied him, Deidara had been confiscating his lollipops for a month. He never thought about checking if he still had them, the boy claimed to hate candy. Little liar.

"Well Tobi, say something. Did you give that nosy kiddo what he deserved, hm?"

Obito cracked a smile behind the mask. He had remembered his old rivalry with Kakashi.

"I couldn't senpai, but at least he didn't end up with her either," right after, pain pierced through his chest until it reached his heart. The image of Kakashi piercing Rin's.

"That counts as victory, Tobi! Or at least a tie, hm," Deidara made an obscene gesture with his arms and hip that would have been funny had the story been different.

"You're wrong senpai, she would have been happy by his side," he replied, shrugging. Yes, Rin deserved Kakashi's love. Although he didn't deserve hers. "Not by mine," he added, in a quivering whisper.

Deidara blinked.

"Hey, dude... You're depressed! You haven't gotten over it yet!" He laid back in an overdramatic manner, his eyes wide open. "So romantic, Tobi! Who would have thought? You keep your secrets hidden so well. I'd almost say I'm starting to like you," after tearing him to shreds with his words, Deidara winked.

That... That immature brat.

"In return, I'll tell you that as a child I had a crush on a classmate. But after being in the same team as her, yikes, what a nightmare, that girl was a pain in the butt! So haughty," he mocked, making gestures that could be considered feminine, while he stuck out his tongue whose colour was now light blue and wrinkled his nose in disgust. "Fortunately, I am not one of those people who fall in love, unlike you, Tobi. How long has it been? You need to move on, hm," and he broke off a chunk of candy with his white teeth, looking at him like someone talking about the weather.

Obito felt another chill through his body. No. It was a total and absolute no.

Pale eyes stared at him slightly concerned.

"So, what do you say about that?"

Tobi stretched out his arm.

"Senpai, give me a lollipop."

Deidara stared at him for a while. He giggled in solidarity. The devious prick reached into his old clay replacement bag and pulled out a green lollipop. He had them hidden everywhere.

Obito gave a faint smile, without realizing it. He reached out to grab the lollipop, but Deidara was holding it firmly.

"This is your reward for being a good boy, Tobi. But I won't always let it slip, hm. This time it affected the performance of an almost completed mission," Obito scolded himself mentally, the boy suddenly didn't seem that immature. "I don't really care for the Akatsuki, but you know, you have to survive to do what you enjoy, right? Eat that lollipop and go to sleep, hm. Tomorrow the training session will be hard, this could be your last supper."

Had that been a sneer? Was Deidara mocking him? The roles had been reversed. And... Why the hell had he meekly answered all his questions? He moved the mask to absently lick the lollipop.

Deidara pushed his futon back to his side of the room.

"Stop making that gross slurping noise, Tobi! You're eating with your mouth open like a noisy kid, hm."

Obito watched him get in the sheets, not even saying good night. Deidara had made a lot of noise eating his lollipop too. Was that hypocrisy?

As he found a more comfortable position while chewing restlessly a bite of lollipop, he realized that the boy hadn't brushed his teeth. But when he looked at the neighboring futon, Deidara was already sound asleep.

He could lie to himself, but Deidara wasn't a hypocrite. He was a spoiled boy, but a brilliant, intelligent one. Obito hadn't realized his own mistakes, Deidara had just spoke to him with that usual scornful attitude of his. He remembered then his smiles and glances of shared complicity. That interrogation could have been worse. No, Deidara wasn't that bad perhaps, he thought as he laid down, savoring the sweet taste of oranges. Since he hadn't dared to touch the subject of Rin's death. Deidara was like a child and a man at the same time. A curious mixture. Finally closing his only eye, he entered his world of gray dust and floating rocks.


	7. Little rock and smiles

"Da-da-da-da, da-da-da… Da-da-da-daaaa, da-da-da-da-da!

Weary, Obito opened his eye. What was that racket coming from the workshop next door? Ah, Deidara had gotten up early. He turned around crushing his head against the pillow.

Hold on.

Was Deidara humming!? It had to be a nightmare. He couldn't be any more noisy if he tried. But the humming came, a tad unsteady, from the workshop. He rose stealthily and peeked through the ajar door.

There was his pawn of a partner, sculpting something tiny, sitting on top of the table, swinging his foot in the air, humming from time to time, his hair tied up in a ponytail, his pale blue t-shirt lying on the floor. He was using that eye device and he seemed to be chiseling something, perhaps.

"Da-da-da-daaaa… Da-da-da… Da-da…"

Sitting on the table when he had a chair next to him. Just to sculpt that little figure. What was this boy thinking about? The apparent lack of logic in everything he did put Obito off. Also, his stupid 'training sessions' to throw bombs at stuff. Although in that sense he was a good ninja, a slightly deranged one, too. Deidara stared at his creation for a brief while, eyes wide open, sticking out his tongue, his tiny fangs visible from there. After remaining frozen for a few seconds in that position, he swallowed the figure with his hand-mouth, loaded clay and caused a faint explosion near his face that burned a few strands of hair. He got off the table, apparently satisfied.

He was a little startled when he ran into Tobi, but greeted him with the usual good mood he used to have when the masked man didn't ruin it. In other words, almost always before stumbling upon him.

"Hey, Tobi! What is our knight in love doing up so early? You're usually snoring at this time, hm."

Obito had to bite his tongue refrain from letting out a few imprecations. There he was, rising up early and fresh as a daisy, his guard low, with that insane glow in his eyes and reminding him about Rin. That was it, Deidara was fine, normal, when a few hours ago he was causing a big scene, from which the only result seemed to be an oddly haggard Obito after a night of bad sleep full of nightmares. He felt the terrible need to wipe that expression of happiness off his face.

"Senpai sings awful. I couldn't sleep thanks to his bellowing!" He said, a hint of poison in his words.

Deidara turned slighly red as he answered:

"Listen, I'm not a singer, I was just humming a tune to get inspired, hm," and he crossed his arms.

"Where did senpai get that melody from?" It wolud be better if he didn't wind him up too much, the consequences of his big mistake from the day before were still in his head.

"Hm, let's see, where did I get it from?" He scratched his navel over his net t-shirt, despite the morning cold. "Well, I think from people's screams of despair when they see my bombs hm. Da-da-da-da, waah, katsu. Yes, that's right," he concluded, spreading his fingers and showing without realizing the long tonges in his hands. "Art is an explosion."

Damn, Obito knew that when he said that phrase, a soporific speech about art was about to follow. Art didn't interest him a bit. An alternate reality inside a genjutsu sounded better.

Luckily, the speech never occurred.

"Tobi, I'm hungry! Go steal Hidan's biscuits and make breakfast! Or else I'll make you explode, hm!"

"Right away, senpai!" The usual voice, the usual soldier stance, la voz clásica, la pose de soldadito clásica, the usual morning whim. Obito walked off mumbling profanity to himself about why he thought about addressing a brat that didn't even reach his shoulder as 'senpai'. Deidara treated him like a pest without stopping to think about how tiresome it was asking him to steal something every day from a different member of the Akatsuki, blatantly ignoring they had a kitchen. Deidara was a natural in those kind of things.

He stopped for a moment. Again, a speck of jealousy ran through his soul, and again Obito didn't know why. He'd rather think that Deidara's artistic ideas were a sign of his poor mental health, instead of observing that, of that couple, only his partner knew how to express himself, while Obito struggled to believe that he was right trying to put the world under an illusion.

Stealing Hidan's biscuits was a walk in the park that morning, as the guy was concentrated in a special six hours long ritual to his beloved Jashin-sama, and, although he threw swears at him left and right, he didn't dare to interrupt the thing to chase him up. Least of all, convince Kakuzu to do it for him. Sprinting back to the room like a playful pup, Obito giggled a little. Deidara's ideas weren't that bad after all.

He told himself off. No, he wasn't there to have fun. He was just keeping an eye on the organization. Obito had to carry on deceiving his partner, even though he didn't believe in Tobi's role. He shouldn't forget he was No One. 

He opened the door ignoring that eleven-year-old-Obito would've looked down on him, disappointed at himself. His expression withered again.

A pair of eyes behind a blond fringe stared at him.

So? Did you manage to bring something?" Deidara asked, rubbing his growling belly. How long had he been sculpting without eating anything?

"Hidan's just a toddler that eats honey biscuits, senpai!" He singsang like he typically did, as he took a plate of biscuits out of his sleeve, some of which fell from the plate. Deidara rushed to grab them before they hit the floor.

"I knew it! I knew that nutter would be ridiculous beyond belief!" Not being able to help himself, Deidara popped two whole biscuits in his mouth. "And well, Tobi, start making something, yum."

Commands, he only knew how to boss him around. Feeling like he was Deidara's servant was shitty. He shouldn't have volunteered to cook when they started being partners.

That workshop was also their makeshift kitchen. Tobi didn't like to eat with the rest so he didn't have to reveal his face in front of them, and Deidara wasn't bothered about having lunch without the rest of the idiots who formed the Akatsuki and that didn't even let him have dinner in peace. He didn't like any of them when it came to sharing food. There were always fights and arguments.

Rules were simple, Deidara knew it. Tacitly, he knew Tobi didn't want his face to be seen, but that had become difficult when they started going out on missions and had to stop to eat at roadside stalls. The only thing he knew about Tobi's face is that it looked as pale as his toes, perhaps even more so because he always wore his mask. When Tobi was at his side while traveling, he ate fast, and Deidara never thought about taking a peek behind his partner's mask. 

But in the last week, Deidara felt more restless than he normally was. The situation was about Tobi, that was clear. Especially after the scene he made the day before, his curiosity for his partner had increased to exponential levels. He should talk to him. Get to know him better, if possible.

He approached the table with a couple of mugs.

"This time I'll help you make tea, hm," Deidara was just curious, but not stupid enough to make breakfast for him.

Tobi froze for a few seconds.

"…Thank you, senpai," he would never have guessed. The spoiled brat wanting to _help_.

"Start serving the fucking tea, you dumbass!" Again barking on his face. Deidara was after all the same as always, Obito thought.

He poured the tea into the mugs while Deidara sat in his favourite position: on top of the table. Of course, Tobi wasn't allowed to rest his feet on it. How did that make sense? So far, Deidara's great helpfulness had consisted in fetching a couple of saucers and mugs. In other words, Tobi had made breakfast on his own again, from nicking some food off the others, to grind the leaves _because_ _his Majesty liked strong tea_ and boiling some water.

Obito felt all the muscles in his body stiffen when he noticed Deidara wasn't turning to face the opposite side like he always did. When he managed to do it himself, he felt him tapping his shoulder.

"Hey Tobi, let's do it right for once. Let's sit at the table, hm," he dunk a biscuit in his tea and ate it in one bite. He vaguely remembered all the Uchiha etiquette rules about table manners that he never managed to achieve. Deidara seemed like he had been born to violate them too, those and other rules.

"I'll sit at the table when senpai takes his paws off it."

"Hey, I don't have paws! But fine, I will," with an eyeroll and a sigh, he got off the table and sat on the bench. "Now come here, hm."

Obito wondered what he was up to. He sat in front of him, a bit disappointed because his tea would get cold.

"So?" again that cerulean gaze threatened Obito without him having done anything to deserve it. "Eat, hm."

He flexed his gloved fingers.

"Senpai, I'm not hungry."

Deidara glared at him.

"Excuse me?" he sipped loudly. Just as he used to tell him _not to do it_.

Deidara was definitely a toddler.

"It put me off to see senpai being gross and eating with his paws full of clay on top of the table," he dared to say, hoping for reaction as predictable as cute that would amuse himself for a while.

"There's no clay on my feet! You can rest assured that I have a bath every day. But you... When do you even plan to change your clothes?" He wrinkled his nose in disgust.

"I had a bath this morning, senpai," of course, inside his tsukuyomi he had a bath and changed his clothes. Nothing that was Deidara's business. And if he carried on with that attitude, he'd have to go there to eat too.

Blue eyes drilled into him.

"And when was that, hm?"

"Senpai is a control freak!" He screeched and ran away, crying fake tears. That kid was starting to get annoying on his attempts to control him. Obito didn't like that new feeling of oppression he was going through. One more little rock in his path.

Deidara counted to ten for the umpteenth time that morning. He shouldn't throw any bombs. He shouldn't throw any bombs. He-shouldn't-throw-any-bombs. Not if he wanted to earn Tobi's trust. Not yet, not until their daily training session, when he could finally quench his eternally frustrated thirst for revenge against the idiot.

"Anyway," he carried on, as nonchalant as he could. "I want you to eat, Tobi. I know you're hungry."

"Senpai doesn't know anything about me," he squealed lifting his head after burying it on his knees while pretending to cry.

Deidara smiled. Tobi had just given him the perfect chance.

"A shame, stolen food is always the tastiest," he said, grabbing the platter of biscuits and dragging Tobi's mug next to him. "Whatever, more for me, hm."

Obito's common sense went away for a few seconds. He didn't know the thirteen year old child that was hidden somewhere inside him was about to get out. And the child broke free.

"Deidara-senpai, that's my food!" He jumped recklessly on top of the table, then grabbed the opposite side of the plate and pulled while all the biscuits scattered across the table. Deidara didn't waste any second and with a defiant smile, he put one of his bare feet over Obito's belly before tugging the platter toward himself.

"It _was_ yours, now it's mine, hm!"

"I stole it!"

"And then I stole it from you! Didn't you say you weren't hungry, hm?"

Tobi gave up struggling immediately, Deidara staggered on his seat.

"I'll never ever eat with you again," Tobi crossed his arms, turned his neck to the opposite side, crossed his legs and started to swing his foot rhythmically.

"What!?" That dumbass always went out of control. Deidara had to turn the tables again. "Up to you, Tobi. Up to you, hm."

That time Obito's wide open eye stared at him through the mask hole. Deidara was definitely acting _really weird_ that morning.

"Don't eat if you don't want to. It's just, eating alone is boring, you know? Because you could be telling me about your brown-haired girl, instead of hearing the noise of my jaw munching, hm. But, up yo you," he sipped his tea. "Go away if you want. You owe me a chat about the lady," he couldn't help a hint of sarcasm in that last word.

Obito owed nothing to that punk. He pressed his fingers against his biceps, in a gesture that Deidara didn't miss. So the brat wanted to squeeze some more information out of him. He would never allow it.

"I won't talk about that with you after you put your paw covered in white dirt on my clean clothes," he had to provoke him to cause the usual reaction. If not, he would never be sure whether he managed to appease Deidara's suspicions or not. If not, he'd have to eliminate him earlier than expected, even though they still needed to catch half of the tailed beasts. Truth be told he still needed that soldier. That was why he was still alive. That was why he had to keep him happy while he could. A fine mess he got himself into.

Deidara gritted his teeth, swallowing the usual dose of insults. Just a little bit more and he'd win that mental game of chess.

"Fine, hide from my violence, vanish into thin air the way you did yesterday in that cemetery. Use that shitty jutsu, hm. I bet it's a teleportation technique," he threw a biscuit in the air, then caught it with his mouth. Obito looked at him, licking the crumbs stuck to his lips, with that deranged expression of his, triumph shining in his eyes. "Keep running away until you don't know anymore how to avoid me, you coward."

So that what it was. Deidara was using his technique to bully him. He resisted the urge to place his hand over his black and crimson eye.

Deidara smiled. Grotesquely, Obito thought.

"Well Tobi, as you can see, my recollections of the incident are quite accurate. So yeah, don't tell me about her, tell me about your jutsu and-"

"No!" He immediately put his hands over the lower part of his mask, as if he was covering his mouth. Massive idiot, Obito scolded himself.

Deidara turned his head a little, eyes wide open, painting another smile on his face. That time, his unhinged gaze disturbed him greatly.

"Then tell me about that chick of yours. How long has she been dead?" His partner rested his forearm on the table, getting closer ever-so-slightly.

No. Not that, either.

"Senpai, can't we talk about anything else?" his own anxiety betrayed his voice.

"Nope, hm."

He was getting closer. Obito had to bargain, not to escape. He didn't want more questions or conclusions. Not that day! Damn, it hadn't even been twenty four hours since Rin's death anniversary, and he still was under the numbing effects of the trauma. He had no skill at that time, about _that_ subject!"

"Come on Tobi, eat," Deidara handed him the cup of tea he had made god knows when.

Obito took it, and then he put it back as if it burned his hand.

"Eat, hm."

That boy could have been a good torturer, he thought thinking about old Ibiki Morino.

"Deidara-senpai, what are you after?"

Deidara smiled showing his even little teeth.

"Like you said Tobi, your senpai knows nothing about you, hm. Therefore, I want to know you better," their glances met and froze on each other for a few seconds. "You know a lot about me, that's unfair," Deidara added. "If you're not gonna tell me anything..."

Suddenly, Deidara climbed on the table and hit his mask with a biscuit.

"Eat and let me see your face."

"No, senpai! I'm quite ugly!" He never saw that coming. Obito had tried to hide his face and his hideous scars, he didn't think anymore he could arouse curiosity in other human beings. Deidara jumped on him, furious.

Obito endured the attack without losing his balance, but grabbed his mask pathetically by the edges.

"Come on, as if I cared how ugly you are, hm!" Now Deidara resembled a monkey, by the way he held on to him. "I just want to see your fucking face! Hm!"

"¡No, no, no, no, no!" his blood went cold again. He couldn't process correctly what was going on. No one ever had demanded to see his face. Not that way, at least.

"There's nothing to discuss, Tobi" His feet clung on to him like a second pair of hands. He was stuck to him like a monkey grabbing a branch, too confident. "I want to see your face, hm!"

The biscuit had been on the floor for a while. Obito tried to regain his cool while keeping the blond ape smacking his mask under control. Luckily his hand-mouths weren't loaded with clay, in a swift movement, he took his belt off along with the clay pouches. Deidara cursed, he had gone batshit crazy. Same as the taijustu lessons in his brain. Obito needed a halfway solution. 

"Hold on, hold on, senpai! I'll eat in front of you!"

The kid stopped slapping him and went still, squatting over his thighs.

"You're not lying, are you, Tobi?" Damn, since when did Deidara believe in Tobi's honesty? Why did he lower his guard after a promise made by an almost total stranger? He refrained from making any more comments.

Tobi grabbed his wrists, firm but carefully, trying not to hurt him. Deidara curled his toes over his black trousers.

"I'm not lying, senpai," he said, slowly. "But I need space and won't be able to show you my entire face," Deidara was about to protest, but the fake promise kept him quiet. "Not yet, senpai. Senpai is so impatient with me!"

Good, that sounded like good ol' Tobi. Aware of the unflattering situation he was in, Deidara stepped back to the table and sat on it in his favorite pose, watching him anxiously.

Obito took a deep breath. Such a big rock Deidara was. But he'd rather show him his chin than tell him about Rin. With a bit of luck, by the time that moment arrived Deidara would be already dead. He took the mug and biscuits with one hand. With the other, he carefully moved his mask to the right side of his head. Having to eat like that felt ridiculous. Were all his ideas about Tobi's outfit that awful? He barely could breathe in there.

Deidara stared at him all wide-eyed. His artist's gaze firmly locked on that pale-skinned wide chin, freshly shaved, perhaps. Big teeth. Three scars crossed diagonally through his right cheek. In particular, one of them ended on his lower lip. He felt a heavy weight in his chest, as blood rushed to his face. He didn't like to react like that, but he couldn't peel his eyes off him. That jaw chewing big chunks of biscuit, a few crumbs stuck to his lips. He stopped his hand halfway, which had moved to wipe him clean. He kept staring, mouth ajar and sore eyes after not blinking for too long. Finally Tobi gulped the rest of his tea, wiped his lips with his sleeve, and soon Deidara was missing those enticing scars.

Silence reigned for a while after that. Obito had felt vulnerable, forced to show his disgusting face to someone else, to that boy that snatched everything from him without remorse. Without mercy. It was his worse breakfast in a long time.

Deidara was the brave one who dared to break the awkward moment, he cleared his throat to make his voice come back.

"Well, Tobi… That's all, hm," _I think_ , he thought, staring at his feet. He had to redo his nail varnish.

Obito stood up in silence, picking up the leftovers. Deidara was a scary man. He had to stop seeing him as a kid.

"Is senpai happy?" He spun around, staring at him with spite behind his safe orange haven.

Deidara gave him a weird look. There he was, a monkey on top of the table.

"I swear I don't understand why you keep hiding your face, Tobi. For a while I thought the reason was mere aesthetics..." Obito felt as if someone punched him in the gut. No, he was a soldier, a savior, he shouldn't care about aesthetics. He simply didn't want to be recognized in Konoha.

"Then I remembered that, despite being a dumbass and all, you're still a ninja, hm," Deidara scratched his nape. "But in case it helps, I don't think you're ugly, or at least I couldn't care less about it," finally, he said it. Luckily he didn't blush. He went pale as a ghost, but managed to stand still. Deidara never regret any of his decisions.

Obito nearly drops one of the mugs.

"You..." Deidara tried again, clicking his fingers to stay calm. "Did that happen while trying to save that girl?"

Enough.

"Yeah," he lied. Perhaps like that, he wouldn't make any more questions.

Deidara nodded. Then he clapped, he stood up on top of the table and pointed at him with one finger:

"Enough talking for today! Tobi, let's train, hm!"

Obito smiled, almost relieved. Finally things went back to normal.

"Of course, Deidara-senpai!"

 

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

It had been four days since the cemetery incident. Deidara hadn't asked about Rin again, but something had changed. He wasn't any kinder or pitied him just because his love had died. A part of Obito thanked him for that. What surprised him was that no matter how hard he tried to wind him up, the amount of explosions thrown went down as his laughter got louder. Deidara was too cherful lately. Surely he saw something funny about his face after discovering some of it.

He easily dodged another bomb, his thoughts raving all over the place. A part of him didn't forgive Deidara for making him uncover himself like that after so many years of zealously guarded isolation. But on the other hand, even though he failed to understand it, he felt something similar to happiness after getting validation out of that perfect-faced boy. Validation because he didn't call him ugly, or because he said he couldn't care less. Meh, he hadn't even seen his whole face. Annoyed, he dodged another bomb, this time slower. He didn't need Deidara's validation. He didn't need anyone's validation. He had lost Rin's with her death and with everything that happened next. Thinking about that made him miserable.

And along the bitter taste in his mouth, a shrill laughter followed each joyfully shouted 'katsu'. Deidara made his hand seal again, too happy for his liking. How could he be so happy?

How could he be so happy in that Reality?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And you, how would your past self look at you? It's always a good time to change!


	8. Your hair and your mistrust

Deidara painted his nails. Keeping them spotless all the time was a demanding task, but at the same time he could relax while doing it. As long as Tobi didn't sprout out of the floor and make him paint his toenails, like he had already done... about two or three times in the past.

As he soaked the brush in more varnish, he tried to recall Tobi's face as better as he could. Deidara thought he should have been more ambitious. He hadn't managed to see much. He still hadn't seen his face and Tobi didn't look like he'd show one more centimeter of skin any time soon. Even so, something didn't add up. Big teeth, wide and strong neck, big jaw, definitely a guy with such physiognomy couldn't have a squeaky voice. If he himself had a powerful voice, Tobi couldn't have the voice of a pig ready for slaughter. There was another lie he wanted to reveal. He wanted to know Tobi's true voice, even though in all his attempts to take him off guard, he always seemed to react the same. With that shrill voice of his.

He blew on his nails, checking the result. There was something about that curiosity he was experiencing that he didn't like, like his instinct telling him to run away. But he was a determined man. Once something got into his head, he didn't stop until he was pleased. And curiosity was something that was hardly appeased in Deidara when he wanted to learn about something. Or specifically, about someone, in this case. He wasn't a man of regrets either. His philosophy was one of total freedom, an altar to all the fleeting things, and therefore regrets weren't in his dictionary.

About Tobi, sometimes he felt as if he didn't know anything about him. For example, he had been Sasori's partner for roughly three years, the puppeteer wasn't the chattiest person in the world, he hated talking and still he managed to know him quite a lot. His death surprised him, but it also told him more stuff about him. Tobi was completely different. Not only in the outer and more mundane aspect, as he discovered first, his inner part too, as he was discovering now. Deidara didn't even have to introduce to him too in detail, his actions preceded him and gave him fame. Nor had he wanted to ask anything after finding out who would be his new partner. But they had been together for more than half a year, and practically he hadn't done any advances with Tobi. In the end, that apparently simple person was a real masked man. He didn't know anything actually relevant about Tobi, except what he had learned a few days ago. And the truth was that he had the uncomfortable feeling that, had it not been for Tobi's stupidity and pure luck, now he would be knowing as little about him as before.

And it pissed him off a lot because deep down, very deep down, he was fond of Tobi. He had learned to respect Sasori the hard way, and to admire him as an artist to the point of calling him master. He wasn't close to the rest of the Akatsuki, they were mere fellow criminals, if that word wasn't too big for them. Deidara had never been a loner; in fact, he had always been popular. Joining the organization maimed his freedom to interact with others, but he managed to get used to that new lifestyle and made a racket everywhere he went. In reality, he would never be one hundred percent used to it. When he met Tobi, soon he felt he was someone he could easily socialize with. He wasn't wrong, at least at first.

Because for Deidara, socializing was essential for his art to be admired. Tobi put up with his explosions, Tobi obeyed his commands despite his unruly attitude, Tobi somehow made him feel quite comfortable. And perhaps, having someone to boss around had softened him a bit, he was now in charge. It hadn't been in his plans, but still he tried to take his 'senpai' role, assigned at the start of their partnership by Tobi himself, seriously. And, at the end of the day, he wasn't a senpai. Because Tobi didn't obey, he didn't listen, he didn't learn, he didn't really train. He buggered off when Deidara least expected and he came back a few days or weeks later, without knowing a thing about his whereabouts. Soon he learned that he still did some secret tasks for Zetsu the spy, and he felt proper professional jealousy. Was he not good enough to train him into being a member of the Akatsuki? He wasn't a rookie, then why did Tobi rather listen to what Zetsu said instead of listening to Deidara, his very partner?

It became obvious then that Tobi refused to show him his face, or even a tiny bit of his body. He didn't talk about his techniques, he didn't ask about Deidara's jutsus so he wouldn't get asked the same question in return. He didn't complete any task, he didn't assist him during missions. He had easily accepted to become the target of his explosions, only for Deidara to start suspecting they went right through him or something. Nothing happened to him, not a hair on his head got harmed, he didn't get tired. He didn't train with him and he wasn't aware of him training on his own. Tobi never worked, but the leader was adamant about keeping him there despite his complaints. He laughed in his face, he mocked him, he annoyed him, he pissed him off, he slipped off his hands as if he tried to catch a fish with his bare hands. Tobi was elusive, but that wasn't the problem. What bothered Deidara, and it didn't take him long to find out, was that Tobi, despite appearances, despite all the sweets he insisted on treating him to and that attitude of his, too casual for his supposed senpai, _didn't trust him_. Did Tobi trust anyone? Or was it that he didn't trust him in particular?

Other times, he had the impression that Tobi didn't take him seriously because he was younger. Fuck, he didn't even know Tobi's age, while the masked man knew his. He refused to tell him, hiding behind one of his typical guessing games. It wasn't that Deidara's patience with Tobi ran out quick and easily. Patience for his partner couldn't exist if the masked man didn't trust him deep down.

He remembered all the missions they did together. From the start he got used to leave Tobi standing guard while he slept, until their last mission. And that time something happened, something that any self-respecting ninja couldn't allow to happen. He fell asleep and the guy buzzed off with the mission in his pockets. That man could have chopped his head off, or stabbed him or something worse while he slept, so careless for the first time in his fucking life. Even the explanation sounded fishy. That precisely, of all places, that was the cemetery of that special girl, it was too... _convenient_ to get Tobi out of trouble. The world wasn't small for Deidara. He could have easily lied to him to quench his curiosity. Then he remembered that it was him who suggested that was the place where that person was buried, the same way he suggested that he got those scars on his face while trying to save her. Tobi had just nodded at his suggestions. How could he believe that those omissions were the truth about his partner? Suddenly, a frustrating feeling overfilled him to the point he had to give a furious kick to the tiny bottle of nail varnish. Deidara had never been so naïve about someone else since he became shinobi.

Tobi had told him nothing. He also asked him nothing until he put him in a sticky situation.

Never on his own initiative.

Tobi could have been lying to him all that time, because Tobi…

_Tobi clearly didn't trust him._

A pang of bitterness wrenched his heart when he remembered how Zetsu's advice had been an important factor to welcome him in the organization. Deidara couldn't trust the judgement of someone he didn't know, no matter how long they had been serving the Akatsuki. He reluctantly obeyed the leader's commands, but he didn't know anything about the leader. Those were the consequences of taking part in an efficient war system like the shinobi one, he thought. But he wasn't made to follow orders so easily like a mere soldier. No war would make him choose a side and fight like a brainwashed patriot. Inside the prison that, according to him, was the Akatsuki, Deidara was still free every time he enjoyed fleetingness.

He thought about the first time he had to lend his chakra for the extraction of the first tailed beast. It took him years to find out that would be the main goal. Then, Tobi appeared in his life and he just joined the extraction process of the second tailed beast as if nothing. Tobi never showed any signs of fatigue, when evein guys like Itachi or Kisame ended up exhausted. That was the first time his lack of tiredness caught his attention. It was only comparable with Zetsu. Could Tobi have something that was... not human? Shit, he looked so much like a human... that he might as well not be one, or be a completely dehumanized guy.

The last option made his stomach twist horribly. Not because he wasn't used to such demons in the ninja world, but because he didn't want Tobi to be one of them. Although he would never know for sure if he just speculated about it.

First of all, he had to start from the idea that Tobi was an absolute liar, a great con artist. An impostor maybe, in a worst-case scenario. A chill ran down his shoulder blades. Deidara was an artist, and therefore, from a very young age he had shown a bigger sensibility than the average person. When he had a gut feeling, he wasn't usually wrong. And at that moment, he felt a terrible foreboding about Tobi, that made his pulse race. Somehow, Tobi was a con artist.

Had he lied about that girl that used to be his team mate too? No, he had gotten nervous, he had lost his composure for the first time in front of him. He felt more comfortable thinking about the Tobi that could feel nervous for real. Somehow, he found it more truthful and accurate than the praknster masked man. And although he didn't like insecure people, he'd rather think that Tobi had a more human, warmer side.

Yeah, that was it. Tobi had loved someone. Therefore, that and a couple of scars was the only thing he knew about his partner. He pursed his lips when he became aware of the amount of stuff Tobi knew about him. He'd make sure they were even. He'd make sure that Tobi became his equal and not a liar that called him senpai when actually, he paid no attention to him.

Tobi would notice that Deidara existed, and that Deidara was powerful.

He tied his hair in front of the mirror, staring determined at his reflection. He knew he wasn't the more tactful guy in the world, his approach was rather violent as the crater of a land mine. He wasn't a counselor, nor an interrogator. He was just a man who wouldn't allow anyone to take him for a fool. Not even that dumbass called Tobi.

Yes, he'd start asking about the girl. Tobi wouldn't be able to run away from him anymore.

Was Tobi just straight?

Immediately his eyes widened, he looked away from his reflection and adjusted his forehead protector. He didn't mind delving into that strange question that had suddenly popped up in mind. Not yet.

The girl. He would go for the girl. Damn it.

He left the bathroom, not wondering why he was cursing her.

 

* * *

 

Odds were in his favour that day. After taking a bath, he went to the kitchen to eat whatever he found lying around. Joylessly content with a few pieces of fruit and rice, he went back to his room to dry himself and get dressed. When he opened the door, he found Tobi lying lazily on his futon; not on his own, but on Deidara's. He had messed the duvet a bit with his bare feet. The situation seemed to be the usual one: Tobi was plotting some prank against him and he was counting the seconds until his senpai's explosion went off.

But Deidara wasn't gonna give him the satisfaction.

"Tobi, make my bed again, hm," he demanded pretending to be annoyed, that way the masked man wouldn't suspect that the situation would be different from the ordinary. It had been a week, Deidara hadn't questioned him again, just to be cautious. With a bit of luck, Tobi would have gotten used to the usual routine.

"Later, senpai, I am sooooo tired," the overacted tired voice giggled, as if he couldn't resist to his own jokes.

"But not tired enough to stop messing my stuff up, hm," Deidara walked toward the futon, rubbing his hair with a towel. "Make space for me," he said as he sat down, the fabric tied up around his waist opening slightly.

He decided not to pay attention to that detail.

Tobi didn't move, so Deidara squeezed his wet hair using his fist and dropped the water inside the hole of his mask. The masked man flinched and Deidara was able to sit down in a more comfortable position, as he started to dry his hair.

"Senpai is so mean," the other man whined, his voice slightly bored but still accusing.

Obito wanted to get mad about the water thing, but he wasn't able to. Earlier, he had been thinking about annoying Deidara, but soon he had fallen into his typical thoughts. Those that appeared when he was idle. The rock crushing him, Rin's death, Kakashi's betrayal. Being a tool in Madara's plan as well as its implementer, the one who would change everything. The possibility of living in a genjutsu that perhaps would make him forgive about his war wounds, about him being a young man but also an old veteran. A weight too heavy, that grew heavier with every passing day.

That was why, when Deidara approached him almost naked, when he sat down brushing his wet body against his, when he dared to soak his eye in water, he didn't care. It didn't matter because that boy looked happy, therefore he wasn't relevant. People who had actually suffered in life could understand him, and that wasn't Deidara. Although definitely, some day the young blond kiddo would experience the cruelty of reality to the point that something or someone would tear his insides to shreds.

No one was extent.

Even so, Obito always wondered why did it have to happen to him. Why him.

 _Why me?_ He though before noticing that a 'no one' shouldn't be asking those kind of questions.

"Oi Tobi, don't you think it's weird to be so close to me like this?" he asked, trying to sound casual. He got slightly frustrated when the masked man didn't answer. "I mean, I'm naked and wet next to you, I'm trying to dry myself up, you know? And you don't seem to want to move an inch from my own futon, hm," he concluded, waiting for a reaction.

Obito wasn't paying any attention to him. Holding his head with one hand, he didn't even register whenever the towel or Deidara's wet hair hit his mask, head, glove or arm. He was just immersed in one of his introversion moments that became frequent since that rock split his body in two.

It was curious, because before the accident, he had never been a reflective person. War trauma, that was his conclusion.

He knew he was a sick, traumatized man. But asking for help wasn't in his dictionary.

Obito scratched his hair when something tickled him.

He ignored that Deidara was staring at him, a look of reproval in his eyes. While one and a thousand strategies about how to interrogate Tobi succesfully crossed Deidara's mind, Obito was just wondering, _"why me?"_ and _"How will it be when I'm inside the Infinite Tsukuyomi?"_.

Obito knew no end to his self-pity.

A hit to his mask reverberated inside his head with a dry echo. He shook his head a bit; he was used to lower his guard around the young man because he knew he'd never be able to see his face.

"Tobi, did you hear anything I said?"

"Of course, senpai! I'm sorry," he blurted out, in autopilot. Normally, with Deidara it all came down to apologizing, so that answer would be fine.

Deidara didn't know why he was feeling so insulted.

"So, what do you think?"

Obito blinked. No, he had no clue about what Deidara was going on about. Next time he'd go to his dimension if he needed to think after annoying the hell out of him like he did every day. The good thing about that situation was, that like in the previous days, everything was back to normal between them. He only had to reaffirm it with a sincere but nonetheless annoying question.

"Is senpai talking to me?"

"Who else would it be? Tobi, there is no talking to you, hm! Tell me what you think about being so close to a man. Doesn't it make you uncomfortable?" Of course Deidara couldn't care less about that matter, but he wanted to know what his partner thought about it.

Obito thought that Deidara was a bit weird sometimes. Although he couldn't put his finger on what. Perhaps he had made him uncomfortable with his awkward behaviour.

He smiled behind the mask. It was an act, after all. It was hilarious to see Deidara swallowing all his lies.

"What's wrong with that, senpai?" he still could annoy him a bit; then he'd forget about genjutsus, sacrifices and rocks. He could forget about his own consciousness.

"I don't think there's anything wrong with that. I'm glad it doesn't make you uncomfortable, hm," Deidara wasn't lying. It felt good to know that Tobi, at least that time, wasn't gonna go away. For that time, he'd let it pass.

He started rubbing his legs with the towel.

"When I was a child, it made me a bit uncomfortable to be near girls, hm. But there was this girl who I fancied for a while."

Obito's breath stopped. What was he talking about...?

"Her name was Kurotsuchi, hm. Girls with short dark hair used to catch my attention," he cast a sideways glance to Tobi's hair. He didn't want to sigh, so he carried on with his plan before the pause became too obvious. "But once I knew her better, I stopped fancying her. After that I didn't like any other girl for too long.

It was true. Kurotsuchi had been the girl he had the longest crush with, with a record of three months. Too long for whimsical Deidara.

"You like dark haired girls too, don't you, Tobi?"

Obito smiled, not even knowing why. Somehow, the conversation didn't put him off. There was nothing dangerous about that topic.

"I guess so, senpai. After all, she was…"

He stopped in his tracks. The dark cloud threatening him again. Deidara noticed it.

"But tell me, brown or black hair? You told me your girl had brown hair, hm."

Deidara tried by all means to sound nonchalant.

"Senpai, what is this? Am I a celebrity?"

"Hahaha! You don't know how far away you are from that, hm!" Deidara let out a hearty laugh. "I just want to know if you'll try to steal any girls from me in the future," he concluded, challenging him to reply.

He saw Tobi take his hands to his belly.

"Senpai is scared of Tobi's sex-appeal?"

"You have not a single ounce of sex-appeal in your body, hm!" He spat, throwing his towel at his head. Tobi took it off and started fiddling with it, lost in his thoughts.

"Brown hair," after all, since he was eight he didn't think of any other girl that wasn't Rin. In the Uchiha compound he was surrounded by black haired girls, it was too common for him. A shame he hadn't loved again since he hit puberty, as if his love froze in time. He thought that was another grim consequence of shinobi war system.

Deidara didn't like that answer.

"Ginger hair?"

Obito remembered when Kushina got mad at him, her hair standing on end in nine strands. And then, the way she died after giving birth, victim of his own cunning.

His gut twisted, he was starting to dislike the path the conversation had taken.

"Nah, too flashy, senpai," he said, pretending to be calm.

"Whoa," Tobi got too serious all of a sudden. That made him more nervous for the question that he actually wanted to ask him. "What about... Blonde girls?"

"I haven't thought about that," he said straight away. Deidara felt his heart racing.

"Does senpai have a girl in his head?" he playfully asked.

"You're making a song and dance out of it! I just wanted to have a manly chat with you, given the situation we are in, hm."

He wished that made Tobi forget about those crazy ideas.

Him? Being into girls? That was so long ago that he had had to strain his memory to bring Kurotsuchi back to his mind.

Then Obito realized the situation they were in. Deidara was naked, trying to get dry next to him. And he was almost lying on the boy's side, without respecting his personal space. Even for a role like Tobi's, it was too much. He sat down immediately, moving a few inches away from the artist.

"Sorry, senpai! I'm sorry!"

"If you want me to forgive you, just try not to weird me out next time," it irritated Deidara having to pretend to be something he wasn't. But he still didn't know everything he wanted to know about Tobi. He didn't get much out of him that day too. "Fine, I'll tell you about Kurotsuchi. She always had short hair, hm. How do you like hair on a girl?" if he had to pretend they were 'just' talking about girls, he'd probably throw up.

Deidara started to scrub his thigh with the towel, trying to conceal how uneasy he felt about the answer.

Obito had never stopped to think about it. Rin's hair was short, so perhaps that answer would do. But at the same time he didn't want to give him too much information, he pondered, as he stared Deidara's back, taking note of his hair. It wasn't bad at all.

"Long hair like senpai's!" he squeaked, feigning his usual excitement.

Deidara couldn't help to crack a smile and close his eyes shut. He was turning his back on him, he knew that Tobi couldn't see him. He could keep asking if he liked straight hair, blue eyes, and a lot of nonsense that wouldn't take him anywhere. He had to contain himself, shit. He had never felt that way before.

Like a silly schoolgirl trying to find out about the tastes of the boy she was obsessed with. No, he wasn't obsessive, that had been Sasori. It wasn't something that characterized him, except when it came to art.

"Why so many questions, senpai?" Tobi went a little bit closer, enough to see how goosebumps formed on Deidara's back. "Is senpai in love with a girl and needs Tobi's help?"

Actually that would be funny. Especially if Deidara ended up broken hearted, perhaps that was what the brat needed to leave all his giggles and childhood happy days behind and understand that no 'katsu' would give him the comfort that an illusory reality based on a perfect technique would provide him. However, he felt low-key sorry for him in the event that he had to go through a heartbreak. It was difficult for Obito to empathize with others without any interest involved. Perhaps he felt sorry because Deidara was the embodiment of youth in that grim organization; while his own possibility of living that youth had been taken away. He would make sure that nothing like that happened to Deidara once in the infinite tsukuyomi.

Deidara turned toward him all of a sudden.

"Do you really think, that if that was the case, I'd ask you for help? You're insulting me, hm. I'm charming enough on my own," he added, touching his dripping hair in a seductive pose, the self-indulgent smile always present. Deidara was charming and was aware of it.

"Perhaps senpai thinks that I could be a tough rival, huh!" He said imitating him, puffing his chest and taking both hands to his nape. He was sure Deidara would get offended.

Deidara felt stupid after staring at Tobi's thick hair and then at that well-shaped muscles insinuated under the jumper.

"Stop daydreaming, hm," better to put an end to that topic of conversation, he thought as he rushedly combed his disheveled hair.

Obito stared at him.

"Any more questions, senpai?" Shit, Tobi had noticed he was trying to get some information out of him. "Why are you telling me this?"

The addition gave him a way to continue.

"Because you told me a lot of personal stuff last time and I didn't think it was fair, hm."

"But you said you knew nothing about me..."

"Yeah, I said that! Then I thought about it and I realized that maybe I was sticking my nose into something it wasn't my business. That's why I told you about me," he improvised. Not even Deidara himself believed what he just said.

Obito didn't buy it either. Deidara wasn't one of those people that talked about justice. But he was one of those people that loathed to know personal stuff about others.

"No, it's me who's been unfair to you senpai. Is there anything else you want to know about me?" He had to stifle a laugh after seeing curiosity glow in those blue eyes.

"What was her name?" he blurted out, avidly.

Obito rose from the futon and took him in his arms.

"Tobi! What the hell are you doing!?" He struggled to break free, but nothing was enough if he had to use his hands to cover his private parts.

Tobi didn't seem embarrassed at all carrying him in his arms even though he was stark naked.

Obito pulled the sheets back using his foot.

"It's time for senpai to go to bed," he cooed.

"But it's daytime! Get off me, hm!"

Obito left him on the futon, he tucked him up and repeated the action countless times despite Deidara's kicks and twists.

"The baby hasn't had his daily nap today."

"Tobi!"

Deidara's face turned red.

Obito thought it was out of fury.

"Tobi will stay here until senpai falls asleep. I can also tell you stories of princesses and toads if you want," he added, pinching one of his cheeks.

Deidara glared at him so angry and puffed up with rage, that Obito thought he was a child again. But no, that little monkey had proved to be a fearsome man. Better if he didn't give him back the control over the situation.

"I just want you to tell me her name, hm," he stopped struggling. If he obtained that information, perhaps he'd even let Tobi tuck him in, even though he wasn't tired.

So pushy, Obito thought. He pressed the tip of his nose with a gloved finger.

"Kurotsuchi. You said that was her name, wasn't it senpai?"

"You actually can remember stuff when it suits you, hm," not once crossed his mind that he had to bite that hand off his nose.

"Well, the girl I liked name was..." he made a dramatic stop, keeping his partner in suspense.

The artist couldn't stand the expectation any longer. He wished that Tobi didn't lie to him that time.

"Senpai will have to guess it!" he stated, raising the index finger of his right hand.

Deidara gave him his dirtiest glare. He should have seen it coming. First, he asked him to guess his age, then, the name of the little princess. Tobi was a big scammer, after all.

"Rest well, senpai, I'll go an clean the mess you made in the bathroom," he tucked him again and walked away.

Deidara wouldn't complain; he always left puddles all over the place. And somehow, Tobi was exceptionally good tidying it up.

He decided to stay in bed, evaluating the information he had obtained.

Tobi liked brown hair, long and perhaps blond too. He wasn't able to squeeze anything else out of him. It was disappointing. Perhaps that was the reason he never thought about joining ANBU.

Shit, he didn't get anything new, after he had to tell him something something as embarrassing as his crush on Kurotsuchi. He was empty handed again, because, how was it useful to know what kind of hair Tobi was into?

Or perhaps he should be more objective and admit that the information he obtained was interesting. He'd try to take more care of his hair next time he had a bath, he decided while he checked his ends. Although he liked Tobi's hair just the way it was, unruly and untreated, he found it paradoxical.

 

* * *

 

Obito absorbed the puddles in the bathroom with his kamui, chewing over the conversation they just had. Deidara had taken him off guard again. And again, it had been a matter of luck. Fortunately, he could react in time so he wouldn't insist on knowing his face or his techniques. The guy was dangerously curious, but he didn't mistrust him as much as the week before. He just was a young man wanting to know, looking for company. About Rin, Obito had resigned himself that it would be like that with Deidara. A constant, painful memory.

Still, he couldn't hate Deidara. After all, as an Uchiha he could obtain more strenght from his hatred, or from his broken heart. He wondered if that Kurotsuchi girl would have things in common with Rin or not. He'd find out. If the boy behaved, perhaps he'd allow him to stay in the tsukuyomi with his old childhood friend. Surely Deidara missed his old chuunin team, judging by the need he had to tell him stuff about that stage of his life.

He couldn't blame him, after all.

Besides, he had sworn not to love anyone else apart from Rin ever again. He had to protect Rin's memory, no matter what.

In the room, Deidara reflected lying in his futon. Then he realized something that made him smile.

"He said the girl he _liked_ ".

Artists could always perceive more details than the average person, he was sure of that.


	9. As sweet as a child

It had been a rainy week and Deidara wasn't happy with that. Leaving aside the fact that he couldn't spend too much time outside sculpting new art pieces, Tobi had disappeared again without notice. He hadn't seen him for four days.

Also, Pein hadn't contacted him to assign him any mission, and he didn't answer when Deidara asked about Tobi. He only told him that he was doing Zetsu a favor and then lifted him up in air as if he was a pebble, when Deidara started complaining about Tobi being his partner and nobody else's. He flopped down with a thud when the leader vanished in thin air. Another weird-eyed dude; he wasn't fond of that at all. Between the sharingan and that bullseye kind of pattern, he would never feel comfortable.

He went back to his workshop and sat on top of the table, staring with bored eyes at his new figure. He hadn't had the chance to try it yet, but not because weather was an impediment. Garuda wouldn't be a bomb that any type of weather could lessen. He simply didn't want to test his most recent creation if Tobi wasn't by his side, applauding him for his pop art - even though Deidara was fed up of telling him that pop was dead.

He pushed a tiny clay ball and watched it roll away until it fell from the table, sighing heavily. He laid his head on top of his outstretched arm and sighed again.

He was bored. And when Deidara was bored, nothing could get him out of that state. He had thousands of creative ideas in mind, but for some reason, he didn't want to work on them. He missed that annoying voice that woke him up every day before dawn.

Deidara was no longer worried about Tobi's safety, something told him that he was fine and would return unscathed. Deep down, the masked man was strong. The problem was that Tobi wasn't coming back yet, and it made him feel like he was wilting. Four days.

Another sigh.

Shit. He was falling in love. He knew it.

And that time, he was falling hard.

His apathy was so deep, that he didn't bother to turn around when the door opened. He pushed another clay ball.

"Senpai?"

And Tobi had held him naked without flinching, he fucking hated him.

"Err, senpai?" Obito approached him with caution. He had thousands of lies prepared to justify his disappearance, the boy usually got angry when he disappeared without warning. It surprised him to see that Deidara wasn't welcoming him back with an explosion and that there was no killing intent in the air. But that person in front of him was definitely Deidara; his sharingan was never wrong. Maybe he was sick, or mired in one of his delusions of creativity.

Slowly, Deidara raised his head, wondering if he hadn't called Tobi with his mind.

"Hello, Tobi!" He sat up quickly, trying by all means to supress a gigantic grin. He approached the masked man with long strides, and instead of hitting him as he used to, he simply pinched his arm.

Tobi wasn't injured. That was enough to boost his mood.

Obito wondered why Deidara seemed apparently glad to see him, instead of being wary or throwing a hissy fit, as he always did. He was aware that the artist got offended every time he came back after disappearing for a few days, instead of leaving the Akatsuki forever so he could have some peace and quiet.

"Is senpai sick? Does he have a temperature? Did Hidan turned him into a zombie?" he dared to say, taken aback.

Deidara beamed.

"You know that useless guy can't touch me, hm. And now tell me, how have you been? I see Zetsu made you work too much again. How does he do it? Should I threaten to eat you like he does, hm?"

"Eww! I don't want senpai to become a cannibal too!” He shouted, sprinting backwards until his back touched the wall. Deidara laughed out loud. Was he really in such a good mood? What was he up to? Lately, that boy was just baffling him.

And the worst part was that Deidara was not making a fuss about going on a secret mission with Zetsu. Could Deidara have discovered something about his true identity? If that was the case, things would get ugly.

"How have you been?" That threatening hue in his voice was closer to the Deidara he knew. Relieved, Obito sighed, not even caring if he noticed. "You didn't hurt your ass again, right? Hm."

Their eyes met and Obito could clearly perceive what was peeking behind that sky-colored veil. Concern.

Deidara cared about him, while he had been thinking what lies to tell him. It was something quite strange coming from Deidara, he could almost consider it an honor. If only he had cared about Sasori like that, perhaps the puppet artist would still be alive.

But it wasn't time to think about that. Deidara's concerned gaze was still on him.

"Zetsu did nothing to you, hm?" He muttered softly.

Guilt throbbed in his gut. The old and familiar twist every time he did something wrong. He thought that Deidara would be used by now to his unannounced absences, and to his lies whenever he returned. He did not weigh the consequences it could have on his partner. After all, Deidara would be his partner for a while, the first shinobi partner he had since his team in Konoha split up. Shinobis were supposed to follow the rules and not show his feelings, otherwise everything would be in vain. But, although he felt guilty and victimized himself every day, he would break the rules again if the wellbeing of a team mate was at stake. If there was something he decided to keep from his old way of thinking, he would make sure not to be a piece of trash to his team mates, like Kakashi had been.

And there was the thunderous boy, quiet for the first time in a long time, questioning him in silence. As if he didn't want to annoy him too much. That was not the Deidara he knew.

"The leader has already told me that you will carry on doing spy work for Zetsu. So, I guess you have two senpais and... I hope that, if you ever learn to do something right, it's because of me, hm," he added, his voice quivering. He wasn't sure if he wanted Tobi to have two senpais. Zetsu was the third wheel there. No one had told Deidara yet the reason why he was there or why was he so useful for the functioning of the Akatsuki.

Listening to Deidara speak like that was like listening to a talking ghost, to someone who didn't speak their mind. And Deidara always, always, spoke his mind. The unkempt appearance of the boy, who was otherwise quite careful about the matter and his worried look were not common. Swallowing his own guilt, Obito took a step toward Deidara and hugged him.

"Tobi is back, senpai."

Deidara allowed himself to be hugged and squeezed his eyes shut, his throat ached from the lump that his own longing had caused.

Tobi's hug was warm.

"So, you're fine," he wasn't planning on stepping back, although he refused to return the hug.

"Now I know that if something happened to me, senpai would look after me," Obito released him and took him by the shoulders. "Or maybe Deidara-senpai doesn't know anything about medical ninjutsu and leaves me in a coma, he he," most likely the latter. Deidara wouldn't heal him like Rin used to do, but he was sure he meant more to Deidara than he did to Kakashi. Perhaps the artist was friendlier than he had initially thought.

"Fool, if you come back injured, I'll set Zetsu on fire and..."

"Senpai cares so much about me, it makes me feel like a schoolgirl!" He interrupted him, bringing his hands to the sides of his mask. Like always, like it was right.

Deidara twisted his lip.

"And I'll shove my newest creation up your ass, hm."

How aggressive he was, Obito thought. At least, he was the usual Deidara again. He remembered then that Deidara used to get bored on rainy days; perhaps that was why he looked so gloomy.

Nothing that couldn't be solved with a good joke and the new supply of sweets he had brought.

"Look, senpai!" He pulled a lollipop between each finger, as if they were kunai. "Which one you want?"

"I told you that I don't like sweets, hm."

"Aren't you going to confiscate them?" He found it funny when the boy got mad at him and took his sweets away. Only to discover that he ate them later on. "Senpai?" He waved the lollipops in front of his eyes, in a pretentiously evil sugar parade.

Deidara sighed and the unexpected happened.

"I want the weirdest flavour you got."

"Eh, watermelon and kiwi?" But it had been hard for Obito to find them.

Amused, Deidara stared at Tobi and his dilemma.

"Yeah, if you aren't able to share your stuff, don't offer me anything, hm," he crossed his arms.

Obito thought about it better. On the next mission he could get more watermelon and kiwi ones. And plus, he had eaten four of those on the way to the cave. Giving Deidara the remaining one wouldn't kill him.

He reached out, offering him the two-coloured lollipop. Deidara took it and sat on top of the table, peeling the wrap off. Obito watched as the boy bit into the lollipop.

"Aren't you gonna eat one too, Tobi?"

Obito approached Deidara and sat in front of him.

"If I try to eat now, senpai will jump on me again to try and see my face," it would be fun to see how far Deidara was willing to go to see him. He wasn't as depressed as that day, that meant he could make the game more challenging. After all, showing his face had never been an exciting thing to do.

"I won't do that, you told me you would show me your face little by little, remember?" Deidara ended up biting off half of the lollipop and, chewing loudly, he stretched his arm and offered Obito the other half.

Hold on a second, he never said he would show his whole face. He said he would do it little by little, not that he would indulge all his whims.

"Come on, take it. I won't insist this time."

Obito stared at the watermelon and kiwi half-lollipop.

"Don't you like it, senpai?"

"Of course I like it, but you wanted it too, hm. We can share it."

Obito took the lollipop and moved the mask a bit to one side, to give it an eager lick. Later he could tell Deidara that he already had another four in his stomach. He felt terribly selfish, but he could never say no to that particular flavour.

Deidara stared in silence as Tobi ate, resting his face on his hands. Well, nothing new. As far as he remembered, his face looked the same as last time. Maybe Tobi was in his twenties, or perhaps in his thirties. If so, he wasn't fond of the age gap. The good thing was that, at least Tobi didn't turn around, so he had a better view of his tongue licking what was left of the sweet. That scar on his lip suited him quite well. Deidara bit his lip again and only stopped when all of a sudden Tobi decided to eat the rest in one bite. That time, the masked man was more relaxed and ate in front of him without feeling embarrassed.

Even Obito felt comfortable enough to take another lollipop at random and start eating it, so that the flavour was a surprise. It wasn't that bad to eat while blindfolded, it enhanced the taste of the chunk of candy rolling on his tongue and the scent that filled his covered nostrils. He decided to uncover his nose, for the sake of that new gastronomic experience.

Enjoying the show, Deidara took another lollipop for himself, while shifting to a more comfortable position. He ate it with a smile on his face. Now he could see Tobi's nose. It wasn't much, but better than nothing. It was sort of thin, perhaps large, but he liked it. It suited him, that dumbass was actually handsome.

Deidara had forgotten that in the last few days, he hadn't been eating properly. And if Tobi finally trusted him enough to eat in front of him, as he guessed after seeing how he chose a third lollipop, he could eat all the sweets he wanted without worrying about his jutsus.

"Aaaah, I'm in a better mood now after eating four and a half watermelon and kiwi lollipops," the masked man smiled, rubbing his stomach before covering his face again.

Deidara was in awe. He had never seen him smiling like that and somehow, it moved him to the core. A sincere and alarmingly beautiful smile. Those lips, covered in ridiculous multicoloured stains. Tobi, taking advantage of his generosity to eat half of his lollipop of the rarest flavour.

"I want you to meet Garuda!"

"Garu... what?"

* * *

 

"Garuda, is a god half bird and half man, hm. The enemy of snakes. It's general culture, you dumb fool," Deidara sprinted under the rain, Tobi ran after him, grabbing his straw hat. He didn't understand why Deidara insisted on moving so many miles away from the hideout.

"So, that ugly critter exists?"

"He's not ugly! And it's just a myth anyway, hm," Deidara molded the hawk he knew so well and Obito jumped on it after him. They took flight, higher than usual.

"But senpai, I once heard that tailed beasts were a myth, what if it's the same with that Carudo?"

"Garuda idiot, Ga-ru-da," Deidara spat. "Well, I don't care, because in a minute it will stop being a myth. Now do not dare to move. And watch this!"

The adrenaline in his voice told Obito that the technique would be lethal. When Deidara broke a large piece of clay and popped it into his main mouth, struggling to chew, he thought he had finally gone totally nuts. Then, he saw Deidara making the seals of the tiger, monkey and snake, and spit all the clay towards the ground.

A clone of Deidara himself, taller than the trees, formed on the ground. Obito noticed with his sharingan, even at that height, that the giant Deidara was filled with millions of small bombs. He wondered what it had to do with the Karuda myth, which he actually knew well. Deidara's restlessness distracted him for a moment.

"And now Tobi, my last piece," he looked at him wide-eyed as he did every time he was going to blow up a village. "KATSU!" he shouted out loud, as he had never heard him shout before.

Milliards of spiders that only his dojutsu could observe spread over a large area. When they exploded, they reduced all kinds of life to ashes. Obito made up his mind. He wouldn't get rid of Deidara. It was a terrifying technique, something he didn't see often. It would be crucial during the upcoming battle.

"The nano bombs that conform Garuda are inhaled by any living creature, they're unavoidable! Nothing escapes the reach of my new technique, the C4!” Deidara fell to his knees, and the falcon faltered in the air. Obito watched as the chakra flow in his body decreased dramatically. He approached the terrorist, who leaned on the shoulder he offered him for support. It was a great technique, but it could leave Deidara out of combat. And the boy was so ambitious, that he was able to stay on the verge of death in order to show off his new jutsu. He would have to convince him to use it only as a last resort.

"Art... is... explosion..." Deidara panted totally exhausted. During Tobi's abscence he didn't bother feeding himself properly. Using so much chakra in one go was affecting him too much. "What do you think, Tobi?” He made an effort to look at him, then he laid on the unstable hawk, extending his arms and legs.

The masked man crouched beside him.

"Undo this hawk, senpai. I will take us back down safely," he whispered in his ear.

Deidara blinked in awe at Tobi's deep voice, swallowing thickly. He was thirsty. It wasn't time to find out new stuff about his partner.

"No," he gasped. "Not until you tell me what you think of my new Garuda C4, hm," he breathed out, closing his eyes.

Obito smiled behind the mask. That young man was so stubborn.

"The truth, senpai? Frightening," he whispered, he wasn't lying to him. "But..." Deidara opened one eye "...only on a molecular level, silly senpai."

"Hey!" The words hurt his pride. He had wanted to impress Tobi so badly. The masked man used to be more enthusiastic about his ideas. If he wasn't exhausted, he would beat him up.

Deidara had told himself that he would even the score, that Tobi would recognize him as someone strong.

A strange warmth surprised him. He forced himself to open his eyes, only to find out that Tobi had taken his eye scope off and had placed a hand on his forehead and the other on his navel. His hands emitted a green glow, and he knew that Tobi was applying a healing technique. Since when did he know how to do that?

It was a pleasant sensation. Little by little, he felt his body relax and he no longer had to struggle to breathe. Soon, he recovered his voice, and managed to maintain control of his hawk.

"Since when do you know healing techniques?" He sat down straight as soon as Tobi's hands moved away from his body. A strange heat still flowed in the areas where Tobi had touched him.

Obito sat next to him. It seemed that he wouldn't have to undo the hawk. That was good, he wouldn't have to reveal any more of his power.

"I learned a few things from my old friend. After her death, I decided to do my best to master medical ninjutsu," he declared matter-of-factly.

Deidara stared at him, as if he wanted to pierce him with his eyes.

"You are the only Akatsuki member I know who dominates it, hm."

"I have never wondered if the others know how to use it. In any case, nobody ever has asked me for favors," he concluded, hands on his nape.

"In my case, Kurotsuchi copied some of my techniques to develop hers, and that day I almost started hating her," he recalled.

"How interesting, senpai. Two girls taught us important things."

"I'm telling you that Kurotsuchi ripped my art off!"

"Senpai, I don't think that counts as plagiarism. She isn't an artist, am I wrong?"

He wasn't wrong. Kurotsuchi had not plagiarized anything, his hurt pride made him say that. Deidara grunted, a bit offended, as he heard the well-known mocking chuckle. He had always been the most creative one in Team Onoki.

"I assume that senpai's love for her died there."

"You assume well, hm," Deidara had discovered as a child that his love for his creations exceeded what he was able to feel for someone else. It was the absolute limit of his predisposition to bonding with other people.

"Senpai, next time you use that technique, try to eat well," Tobi reminded him.

"Look who's talking... You, lollipop face!"

"Hey!" Tobi sounded genuinely offended. "I just worry about you!"

Deidara smiled, looking at the calm sky after the explosion.

"Thanks, Tobi."

Obito gave him a weird look. Deidara didn't usually thank people, did he?

"Why are you thanking me, senpai?"

Deidara scoffed. 

"You know, for what you said."

"Do you like when I worry about you?"

"Tobi, shut up. I thanked you for healing me, when actually I didn't need it, hm," he crossed his arms, causing the hawk to slow down a bit. The rain had stopped.

"If I didn't help you, you would have died. Silly senpai!" he told him off, almost glad.

"I wasn't going to die! I just used too much chakra, hm!"

"I'll have to cook for senpai again," he said in a whiny voice, scratching the back of his neck. "Another night taking care of Deidara."

"Forget about that. All I need is for you to be with me next time, Garuda C4 shouldn't be this small. I need to increase the range of the explosion, and improve my clone in terms of mobility and size. My art must be even more magnificent, hm," he almost ended up talking to himself, imagining all the improvements he could make to his new technique.

"Larger?! Senpai, you keep trying to die while exploding a bomb!” He shouted in shock. "Anyway, why do you need me?"

"You know there's room for improvement in our team work, hm."

"But it's your technique, senpai."

Deidara didn't reply, looking for a good place to land.

Obito put two and two together.

"You're worried in case you need a nurse and Tobi is not by your side!"

"That's not true! I don't need anyone but myself, hm!" Now he was teasing him more than usual. And he had been missing him.

Obito hugged Deidara.

"I will take care of you, senpai! And senpai will create even louder art," he wasn't going to let anything happen to him because of his immaturity.

Deidara laughed.

"Okay, Tobi. If you just weren't so annoying, you would help me more than you think."

Hurt by his words, Obito took a step back and crossed his arms. That boy did know how to wound with his tongue.

Deidara stared at him, in a silent fight of wills, until he couldn't stand it anymore. Tobi beat him again.

"Ah fine, come here, hm," he sighed. Tobi threw himself on him, squeezing his shoulder tightly, and ruffling his hair with his left fist, the way he knew it annoyed him the most. "But leave my hair alone!"

"Senpai's hair was already a mess anyway. Hey senpai!"

"What do you want now?" He grunted as he tried to fix his hair.

"Blondes or brunettes?"

Tobi was being… too friendly that day.

"Brunettes, hm."

"Short or long hair?"

"I already told you, short, hm."

"Oh, Tobi must have the hair of your dreams!" He exclaimed, grabbing a strand of his hair.

Deidara looked at him and laughed out loud.

"Ha ha! Shut it!"

"But I want to know!"

"That's not true," Deidara pointed at him.

Tobi laughed. It wasn't really true, he just wanted to make some conversation. He let go of his hair and they stared at each other. Then the two started laughing again. Doubled up, Obito held his tummy, while Deidara's shoulders shook nonstop.

Deidara hadn't laughed like that for a long, long time. It was like being with his friends from Iwa again.

Obito didn't know what they were laughing at, but he didn't care. It was probably because of those kind of things that Deidara spent his life screaming "katsu" all over the place. The important thing there was that, for the first time in decades, he laughed again in complicity with someone else. Talking about their type of girl, sharing their tastes, jumping down to the floor and eating sweets was something he had liked to do as a child. After the rock incident, he never thought he'd be doing it again. He didn't know very well what to do to extend that situation a bit more after he finished eating the last lollipop he had left, so he turned to the only technique he and Deidara had created together. He stood beside him and looked at him from above.

A laughing Deidara looked back at him.

"Senpai, you are so tiny."

Deidara's laughter was replaced by an expression that was a mixture of disbelief and threat.

"W- what?"

"Look how tiny you are next to me, if we stand straight," he added, standing straight, back to back. "He towered a few inches above his head, and surely he weighed about forty pounds more. If they were in a taijutsu chuunin match, maybe he could beat him.

"Don't you ever think being taller makes you stronger, hm!" Deidara turned quickly, trying to grab him. Obito gave a flawless jump backwards, causing him to start chasing him. He wanted to run.

Deidara threw the lollipop he was eating at him, as if it was a kunai.

"And you're also quite slow!" He shouted joyfully, after dodging it with ease. Attacking him with candy, such a crazy boy was standing right before him.

"Tobi, you won't get away with it this time, hm!" He started running after the masked man, neither of them willing to use ninjutsu.

They were playing tag. Deidara ran as fast as he could, but either the medical ninjutsu had not been enough, or Tobi was too fast for him without using too much chakra. Maybe it was because he was taller, his strides were larger.

To give him an advantage, Obito started to run in circles, allowing Deidara to approach him from time to time, but always avoiding getting caught. Both laughed, focused exclusively on the chase.

Obito then decided that he'd rather be the one carching the boy and so he did.

"Tickles, senpai!" He exclaimed without thinking too much.

"I'm not ticklish, hm!" Deidara put his hand-mouths in front of him, wiggling tongues sticking out, and suddenly Obito remembered that he never stopped being ticklish. He released the boy, spun around and ran away.

"So, you're the ticklish one, come back here!" An ecstatic Deidara shouted, starting to chase him again. On the way back he would be too hungry.

"Never, senpai! Mwahaha!"

Obito ran as he had never run before: without worrying about arriving late or getting out of danger. He ran because he wanted to, and his legs moved faster and faster, reaching a dizzying pace as he went down the green hill like an antelope, dodging and jumping over every obstacle. He ran forward without any purpose or expectation. It was quite fun.

"Woohoo!" he shouted euphoric, while listening to Deidara's voice, who insulted him in all the languages he knew.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Obito became a child again! I didn't imagine writing something like this when I started this dark fic. But I am happy with the result. The boy has a truncated growth and many pending issues. A little bit of trust in Deidara, and he starts to live what was taken from him. By the way, according to the databook, Obito is about 15 centimeters taller than Deidara, and weighs about 20 kilograms more. It must be heavy for him to always have Obito on top of him in bed, right? Ah, this fic wasn't about that (or was it?) XD
> 
> Hopefully you liked this chapter more than the previous one. I'm listening to opinions;)
> 
> Long live ObiDei, over and out.


	10. You're so unpredictable (hm!)

"Are you ready, Tobi?" Deidara asked, making sure that his clay bags were correctly fastened. That day they were heavier than usual.

"Mm, I have my doubts, senpai."

"That's because you never work. Don't worry, when you notice it doesn't hurt, your doubts will go away, hm!"

"I'm not that sure, senpai."

Deidara rolled his eyes and let out a loud sigh, his fringe floating in the air.

"Listen Tobi, if you train with me, later I'll treat you to all you can eat. Happy now? It's my last offer, hm," he crossed his arms, deciding he wouldn't be gentle with him.

Obito knew what he had to reply if he wanted to be in-character.

"Senpai will treat me to dinner?"

"That's right, hm."

"And senpai will pay for everything?" If he was gonna go along with Deidara, he would make sure he had as much fun as he could at his expense. Like, for example, ordering ten of the most expensive dishes and only eat one.

Deidara frowned, arms crossed. Then he nodded.

Obito raised his arms like a child would do.

"Then let's do it, senpai! I will empty every restaurant I see!"

"Hey!" Deidara complained, starting to regret it.

Obito lead the way acting like Tobi. Internally, he reprimanded himself for the mistake he had made last time. To end up running across the meadow as happy as a fawn was something everyone deserved to experience. The bad thing was that, he had been so approachable that now Deidara clung to him like a barnacle to a rock. He didn't want the boy to get confused and start imagining things like they could become friends. Friendship did not exist. However, that day he was going to test Deidara's ninja ability to behave like a proper shinobi. As he needed him alive to put his Garuda C-4 to good use, he also needed him mentally and emotionally strong, since that last point was the one that always worried Obito about the boy. He weighted out the pros against the chances of Deidara discovering more about his ninja skills. After insisting over and over that something as valuable as the mystic palm could not be wasted like that, he agreed to the idea of being less of a lazy butt and actually train with Deidara for a week. Obito was aware that the boy only wanted to find out more about his techniques, but it was also not a bad strategy to make Deidara sweat a little and perhaps make him reach new levels of endurance.

The idea was very simple: if Deidara insisted on sticking his nose in his jutsus, Obito would train him without the boy suspecting it, to perfect him as the human tool he was. In addition, he had never trained someone and wanted to double check his level of control over the artist. Of course it would be by means of manipulation; Deidara would never realize it. But he would gain great power thanks to his help. It was a win-win situation.

Wile pretending to be bossed around by his "senpai", he would remain in control of the situation, the way it should be.

* * *

 

For that first time, Deidara looked for a more remote training place than usual, and Obito thanked him. Otherwise, he would have searched for a hidden spot himself.

Deidara chose a remote and lonely area, a land where the masked man would have no excuses for his refusal to show him his techniques. He had been looking for the perfect spot, gliding through the sky on his own, since the time he showed Garuda to Tobi. He was going to get some information out of Tobi no matter what, whether he wanted it or not. Although he didn't look completely convinced, the masked man had finally given in to his insistence. Deidara was proud of what his perseverance could achieve.

Obito thought that Deidara was an annoying brat that he always had to please to put a halt to his nonstop nagging —which was becoming borderline bullying— and the increase in the number of daily homicide attempts.

When they got off the hawk, Deidara undid his creation and lead the way.

"Well Tobi, let's warm up first. I won't let you loaf under the trees again, hm!"

Obito smiled behind the mask. Deidara swallowed his carefree guy act whole. Such a gullible kid, but whenever he had that expression on his face and his hands inside the bags attached to his hip, like he was doing right at that moment, he became dangerous.

"Don't ignore me, hm!" He raised his voice. Soon, the show of screams and explosions would begin. It amused Obito as much as going to see a lion fight to the death in a circus.

"Of course I don't, senpai! Tobi is a good boy!” He said, saluting until Deidara's furious gaze calmed down and started to focus. His concentration noticeable in the air; the smell of a fight about to explode.

When Deidara moved one foot to secure his position, he took off his robe and started to mold clay, he hissed:

"This time I will give you a head start, hm."

He wasn't sure if it would work, their "workouts" used to start like that.

Tobi shielded himself with his hands.

"Senpai, be easy on me! I don't like being bombed!"

"Then do something better than dodge me, hm! Katsu!" he shouted, throwing fifty C-1 spiders at every part of his body. To corner Tobi and force him to demonstrate his true power, he decided to start tripling the number of bombs he usually throwed at him. He had been eating and resting as well as possible for three days, as if he was back in the ninja academy, seeking to optimize his chakra reserves.

Obito limited himself to use his intangibility skill on different parts of his body through his kamui, while performing a dazzling dance at high speed to trick Deidara's vision. Once again, he believed that the masked man had dodged or phased through them, but he wasn't completely sure.

"Tobi! I told you not to do the same as always!” Deidara shouted with bloodshot eyes. "Stop dodging and counterattack, hm!" Furious, he threw a hundred C-1 figures at him.

Anticipating the movements and the amount of bombs with his rotating eye, Obito decided to give the terrorist a rest.

"Doton! Mogura Kure no jutsu!" he shouted out loud, as he buried himself in the ground like a mole.

Deidara spat, not pleased at all.

"That technique won't take you anywhere, hm!" He shaped another figure as he looked at his feet, waiting to be attacked from below. He could get away through the air, or smash his face with a good explosion when Tobi reappeared. Deidara ignored that such a basic technique had been stolen from him when Obito's Sharingan saw him execute it for the first time.

The masked man reappeared a few meters away from him.

"Oops, senpai was not here!" And he dug inside the ground again spewing out large amounts of dirt.

"At least use that jutsu prperly, hm! If you were from Iwa they would have kicked you out for bringing shame to the village!" Deidara then threw a giant mole that started to dig and bury itself underground. As soon as he was close to Tobi, he would blow him up. Surely underground the masked man couldn't run away, and if he did, Deidara would already have a weak point in sight. He was about to find out.

Obito walked quietly under the ground, preventing Deidara's clay mole from getting too close. Going round in circles, unhurriedly moving away from the bomb, he looked up and wondered if he should use Kamui to sink Deidara into a well. He immediately dismissed the idea, it was too much. Deidara had to keep believing that he was a dumbass, but the truth was that Obito had also some pent-up resentment from having had so many bombs thrown at him and ill-treatment overall since they met.

Once again, Obito didn't lay the blame for that on his Tobi role. If Deidara wanted to know about his techniques, then he would show him a Konoha's exclusive, so secret that it was considered an ancestral jutsu from one of the strictest senseis of the Leaf Village. He still remembered how much he suffered along with Kakashi, his idiot of a team mate, at the hands of Namikaze Minato, who had inherited it from Jiraiya, who in turn had acquired it from Hiruzen Sarutobi, and the list became ridiculously long. The brat wasn't gonna be able to avoid it, and best of all, Obito wouldn't need to use his sharingan. Except for a minor detail.

By continuously sending his body to his Tsukuyomi, he decided to return a part of his skull underground, breathing safely in his own personal dimension. His Sharingan was the rarest that the Uchiha clan had ever known, even that had been ratified by Madara. If Obito thought about it while using it, sending his eye and optical system to move on its own underground and drive it by the force of his body walking between gray cubes, he might even find it hard to believe. But normally, whenever he used kamui, a part of Obito's brain was temporarily disconnected. He couldn't control it completely at will, it was more like some kind of instinct kicking in, as if his body had been made for that technique. It had been like that from the start, since Rin's death.

Rin. Obito pursed his lips and decided to put an end to that silly game. Underground, his sharingan looked up and was able to distinguish, through the layer of earth, the faint glow of Deidara's chakra. He already had his location, now he just had to execute the attack. That ridiculous mole would prove useless.

 _Damn_ , Deidara thought, _how elusive can he be?_

Even though he knew that Tobi would try to attack him from underneath, that if he hadn't buzzed off to take a nap under a bush, his creation hadn't been able to find him yet. Deidara was starting to get impatient and considering the possibility of blowing up the ground under his feet, when he felt a body protruding and turning the ground below him into debris. Just as he had imagined.

He smiled, although his mole had failed to hit the target, Tobi was still as predictable as always.

"Gotcha, hm!" Deidara bent over. Looking between his legs, he saw the masked man was getting too dangerously close. At such a short distance, it was worth throwing his special tarantula at his face to see if he could dodge it. Tobi wouldn't be able to do it. Not with his speed.

But Obito was much faster than Deidara had ever suspected.

"Tobi's secret technique! One thousand years of death!" He exclaimed stifling a laugh, while his gloved fingers swung into Deidara's butt in an abrupt and painful jab.

Deidara felt his tongue cramp, as he received the most embarrassing attack ever created.

The clay mole, which at that time made contact with Tobi's leg still underground, disappeared immediately. Deidara screamed as he gave a small jump forward, his special tarantula being crushed by the weight of his body hitting the floor.

"Well, I already counterattacked, senpai! Can we go get food now?” Tobi asked, comfortably leaning his chest against the floor, his feet moving back and forth in another dimension. Deidara rubbing his ass while sinking his forehead on the ground in front of him was the most hilarious thing in the world. He had finally avenged himself for all those times the artist tried to scorch his ass.

Deidara clenched his teeth and swallowed hard, trying to get his breath back. It was the most humiliating thing he remembered happening to him, so much, that he was about to consider forgiving Itachi and choosing Tobi as his new mortal enemy. He could even forgive that stupid Sharingan. The masked man would never stop surprising him. He felt defeated by having to bite his tongue, and the worst thing was all that blood rushing to his face. If he ever longed for any bodily intimacy on another level with Tobi, it was obvious that having his fingers violently shoved up his ass was off his list.

He hated Tobi even more because Deidara was not a ninja who screamed in pain during battles. He was loud, yes, but stoic when it came to pain.

Obito knew that and was evaluating it at that moment, watching as Deidara's trembling legs drove him up. Deidara spun around with an unsettling expression on his face, as if the tension had disappeared. Concerned, Tobi checked again his chakra reserves. They were stable, except around his anus and rectum, but that was to be expected. Maybe he had to leave the earth so he wouldn't have to use his Sharingan in response to the most bloodshot eyes he had ever seen in the boy.

"You... You piece of shit!" Deidara uttered short of breath, wanting to mold clay with both hands but unable to avoid taking one back to his sore butt. "I will…! I will…! Hm!"

It was so unusual to see Deidara speechless, that Obito decided to quickly get out of his comfortable burrow using the Mogura Kure technique. Anyone who knew him a little, would know that the situation was more than dangerous.

"I have fought bravely, senpai! Don't punish me!" he stepped forward, holding Deidara back with his hands. Behind the mask, Obito bit his lip to stop himself from laughing.

For Deidara, seeing Tobi's trembling shoulders in obvious reference to how amusing he found the situation made his thirst for revenge bigger.

"One day I will kill you in the best work of art the world has ever seen, hm," Deidara whispered.

"But senpai! Remember that your bombs won't be art if they don't reach Tobi!"

Enough. Obito had crossed a line, and they both knew it.

Deidara's hands closed around air; the neck of the masked man escaping from his reach. Tobi started running backwards. It pissed Deidara off to discover that he couldn't run well.

"Does the baby need ice for his bottom? Don't strain senpai, Tobi is such a good boy that he will bring you medicine first and then take you to eat as much as you can!"

"Tobi, hm!" Deidara pushed the image of Tobi's gloved hand applying the mystic palm out of his mind. That might take away the pain in his butt in a blink of an eye. For that time, he didn't want that damn black hand near his aching rear. "Don't you ever speak to me like that again, hm!” He shouted, starting to mold Garuda. To hell with training and his plans to find out more about his supposed partner.

"Senpai, wait," suddenly, Tobi sounded worried. He had stopped running.

Deidara froze, the adrenaline preparing him to attack and flee if necessary.

Slowly, Tobi raised a hand, pointing somewhere behind him. Unable to find anything, Deidara looked at him again, confused.

The masked man kept the accusing index, while taking his left hand to his belly.

Then he burst out laughing.

"TOBI!"

* * *

Deidara sat reluctantly, finding out that his bottom was still a bit sore. As if nothing, the idiot of his partner read the menu of the restaurant they had chosen and started telling to the waitress the list of dishes he wanted. Fed up, Deidara decided to break his promise.

"You're not allowed to order more than one dish, hm," he interrupted in a dry voice, while stroking his chin, looking at his own menu. The masked man stirred.

"Senpai, you promised to treat me to everything I could eat, and pay for all the food if I trained with you!" Deidara pretended he didn't hear what Tobi said, looking for bakudan on the menu. "Unless… is senpai a sore loser?” Tobi waved the disposable wooden chopsticks recklessly close to his face, trying to ruffle his bangs. Perfect, he managed to earn another of his deathstares, this time with both eyes, to intimidate him more.

But Tobi didn't even flinch at Deidara's murderous intentions, or he playfully ignored them. Sometimes Deidara simply believed that he would never understand his partner's somewhat erratic behavior.

Deidara ordered his beloved bakudan, this time he wanted it with natto. Eating it always replenished his energy levels, and reminded him of bombs.

"Senpai is a sore loser, senpai is a sore loser, senpai is a sore looooser," Tobi started to chant as soon as the waitress took his inarizushi order, annoyingly tapping the table surface with rhythm. Holding his cheek absentmindedly with his other hand, Tobi counted the seconds until the boy's patience ran up. Lately Deidara had seemed to improve, which was what Obito actually expected from such a promising young man. But after using One Thousand Years of Death on him, he had to make sure that those improvements did not go to waste.

"I swear I'm going to kill you one day, hm!" Deidara started talking in a low voice, but he gradually raised it to a shout as he gave a single punch to the wooden table.

As it was expected, everyone flinched. Obito blinked, annoyed and resigned; Deidara would never learn how to contain his emotions, no matter how important that was for a shinobi, even though he was a missing nin.

"Deidara-senpai, if you don't behave they will kick us out of here."

"And whose business is it what I do? And who would dare to put a hand on me, hm?!" he scoffed, flushed with anger, pointing to the red clouds of his cloak as a sign of the obvious. No one was going to approach an Akatsuki member unless they knew nothing.

That overconfident attitude of many of the members of the organization bothered Obito greatly, because it was not about showing off all the time. If they thought like him, they would be more careful. But then again, it wasn't his business either.

Only with Deidara would he make an exception, he was still a big untamed child.

Obito's food came first. Clapping with happiness, he allowed the smell of his beloved dish to flood his nostrils. He would let it cool a little while waiting for Deidara.

He did not realize that his partner had gotten over his anger.

Leaning his left arm on the table, Deidara sat on the edge of his seat as he stared at Tobi, his face inches away from his. Only then Obito understood, a bit annoyed. He should have expected it. Deidara would not treat you to everything you can eat without expecting something in return; although the truth was that the boy always treated him and insisted on paying for their meals with his own money. The almost endless promise of food had clearly been a bait straight to his stomach, which Obito had seen coming from miles away, but didn't bother to refuse. In part, because he hadn't expected that Deidara would cling to him again to watch him eat while they were in public. If he didn't do something urgently, that boy would eventually lose all the common sense of a shinobi. He sighed as only Tobi could do it.

"Senpai, you should eat first, don't you think so? Otherwise, Tobi will eat everything before you notice."

He found it weird but at the same time, the offer excited him a bit, Deidara extended a nervous hand towards one of the fried rolls. He wasn't that fond of inarizushi, it wasn't bad, but it didn't drive him crazy either. It was a bit too bland for his taste. Any other day he would have rejected the offer, but somehow he found himself accepting. If they were going to sample each other's dishes, something that had never happened before —and that Deidara had not remembered doing since he was a child back in Iwagakure—, perhaps Tobi would ask to have the favor returned by trying a bit of his bakudan, which by the way, was already taking too long.

While biting the roll staring at Tobi, Deidara wondered why such a lively character had chosen such an unexciting meal. Both always ordered the same thing, except when circumstances didn't allow it or they were short of money. Paradoxically, Tobi had never allowed him to steal food despite being in a criminal organization. The only time he caught him doing it, Deidara had to endure the masked man demanding him to return to the food stall to apologize, pay a few times the price of his food and even work for free for couple of days. He couldn't imagine that lazy butt working, the thought amused him. While chewing slowly, he stopped looking at the mask hole, and his gaze wandered over Tobi's cloak, not looking at anything in particular. With each chew, he mused further over why someone so squeaky and addicted to cheap sweets liked such a simple meal. Or maybe it wasn't, but it paled in comparison to his fiery and rich bakudan.

And thinking about it, where the fuck was his order? Wasn't that a restaurant big enough? They had ended up there after Tobi begged over and over for Deidara not to explode in the worst possible way: by walking for miles to get rid of his soured mood. As a result, they had reached a small but prosperous town that they never visited before.

When Deidara swallowed the last bite and was about to raise his voice to demand his food, the woman appeared quickly bringing his precious meal and apologized after noticing the pissed off face of the man. Deidara ignored her and Tobi decided to wave his hand at her, friendly but indicating a clear dismissal, like a warning that the boy should not be bothered anymore now.

"Cheer up senpai, here is your favorite food! Itadakimasu!" With the chopsticks in his hand, Tobi leaned forward a bit, eager to start eating.

Deidara was starving, but he wouldn't touch his bakudan until Tobi started eating. Although they were in a public place, they were sitting at the terrace and by that time no one was passing by. Not feeling any suspicious presences, Deidara had hoped to make the man eat in front of him once more. He swallowed thickly when Tobi brought the chopsticks holding his food to the mask, which he was about to move to the side of his head, but then he stopped and the orange swirl turned towards him. Deidara tried not to flinch.

"Senpai, you're so rude. You ate my inarizushi and never said thank you for the food! Who would have thought you would be such a bad boy, if you carry on like this you could die young," he added, totally disraught, as if breaking social norms was the worst thing ever and had fatal consequences.

Deidara glared at him, Once again, Tobi was pissing him off before he could taste his food. But nothing would ruin his bakudan experience, no way.

"Do you want to know what I do with norms? I wipe my a-!"

"SENPAI!" Tobi shrieked in shock, quickly covering Deidara's mouth with the hand that still held the chopsticks and the food, while with his left left, he held the back of his neck so he wouldn't get out of his grip. He wasn't rough or harsh to him, and that bothered Deidara even more. He didn't know how to react to the fact that Tobi was gentle most of the time. "You have such a potty mouth!"

Deidara squinted until his eyes became thick lines of eyelashes. Happy, Obito released him and his attention shifted to his plate.

"Unbelieveable, senpai..." He tutted, as he turned his back to Deidara and quickly popped the first bun into his mouth. Perhaps eating in public wasn't something he usually did and he had to remind himself he couldn't think with his stomach, but the place was not dangerous and his food was already getting cold. It wasn't the same.

Obito smelled something strong when he turned, his face completely covered again.

"Ugh, senpai has such a bad taste, I'm sure those bad words come from the natto he usually eats," he taunted, viciously.

Deidara's only visible pupil contracted, and he hurried to swallow a too-big mouthful of food.

"You should try a bit instead of being judgmental! And I'll blow your ass off if you imply any link between the natto and my vocabulary, hm," he determined, more calm, starting to think about how to make Tobi eat in front of him again.

"Shh, senpai! You could offend the kind lady who served us such a yummy meal!" Tobi thought himself too cool, giving him a lesson in good manners while characteristically waving his long index. Deidara hated that gesture of mocking superiority.

Deidara took a look at the not-pretty-at-all waitress. Were Tobi's preferences that plain for everything? They were next to each other every day and he didn't even notice his out of this world charm. And the worst part was that...

"But she is a redhead, hm!" He spat, with contempt.

Tobi tilted his head, he didn't understand what Deidara was talking about.

"You don't like red hair, hm! So you shouldn't worry about what she thinks of you! You dumbass," he said through gritted teeth, eating another mouthful of food. If that girl had made it, for him it wasn't that delicious anymore.

"I will never understand you, senpai. Although, as long as you eat that stinky natto I don't want to know either," turning to the other side, he took a second bite as quick as he could. That pointless argument was going to ruin his dinner.

That was going bad. Tobi wouln't eat again in front of him at that rate. Weren't they making progress? Deidara felt that his impatience anticipated a defeat, and there was no situation he hated more than that.

"Tobi, if you don't try bakudan, you'll never be sure whether you'll like it or not, hm," he said, pretending to be calm.

Obito spun to face him, a bit curious. He should not get carried away, but the truth was that the dish had grossed him out since he was a child, many food stalls in his clan's neighborhood cooked it.

Deidara loaded the chopsticks in a graceful motion and brought them near the mask.

"Come on, try it. After all, you let me try your food first, hm," he smiled at Tobi, waiting for an answer and forgetting to fully analyze his body language.

Obito hesitated. That thing smelled quite strong. Or was it his imagination? There were no people around, he checked again. His curiosity for trying new flavors was too big, enough to make his stomach doubt.

Deidara gently moved his hand, touching the orange swirl with the chopsticks ever-so-slightly. Tobi would end up giving in, he would turn around like he usually did, but at least he would make sure that his bakudan's honor was restored.

"For the record, I never share my food, hm. So if you want to..." he stopped dead, starting to shake in front of the scene that unfurled, like in slow motion in front of his eyes.

Was he seeing things?

Tobi had moved the mask to the right side of his face, his mouth was open, it was evident he was waiting for Deidara to feed him some bakudan. Sunlight made his pale skin glisten. It suited him quite well, with that dark, matte hair he had.

But Tobi couldn't keep his jaw open in broad daylight, right?

Blushing, Deidara reached out a shaky hand until the food brushed his partner's teeth. Tobi simply ate the food in one bite, chewing slowly in front of him without even trying to cover his face again. After swallowing, there was a brief silence.

Obito then moved the mask to its original position, thinking about all the flavours of the food he just had. Yes, bakudan wasn't bad at all, but the little cocky artist didn't have to know that.

Deidara looked down immediately, taking one of the last bites and bringing it to his mouth. He didn't want Tobi to notice his blush. He wasn't shy, so why did he get all flustered when he was near Tobi? He was aware of his feelings for him, but that didn't explain why his attitude had changed so violently. If he had already fallen in love in the past, why that time had to be different? He stiffened when he thought that the chopsticks he held on his lips had touched Tobi's moments ago, and if he saw it that way, maybe that was...

A stupid childish thought!

"Meh, nothing impressive, senpai," Tobi said, moving the mask again to eat the last inarizushi bun, chewing with his mouth slightly open in front of him.

As if nothing. Again.

One more time, Deidara fell in love with that scar that marked over his lower lip. It was so... so...

"Hm, bakudan is too complex for someone as simple as you." He cleared his throat. That Tobi made him feel weird things didn't mean he had to go crazy over the issue.

"Senpai thinks he is sophisticated, but he doesn't even know how to say 'itadakimasu'," his partner retorted , a hint of mocking evil in his words.

"Stop criticizing my food and my attitude in front of her, hm!" Deidara stoped making out with his chopsticks, popping the last of his food into his mouth and then nailing the wooden utensils into the ground as if they were kunais. As he looked around, he realized that his attitude had frightened the waitress, so he simply threw the money onto the table with a dry thump and stood up abruptly.

"I'm sorry, senpai is like that sometimes!" Obito bowed pathetically in front of the girl and started to run fast after Deidara until he reached him. "Senpai, you were very, very rude in front of that lady! That way you will never get a girlfriend! And you will die young and bitter!" He singsang as he stared at him. He wanted to know if Deidara would be one of those foolish guys who let their love problems affect their performance as ninjas. As it had happened, for example, to himself. He did not regret loving Rin, but...

Deidara faced him, raising his arms as if he was missing the point.

"But she has short hair, hm!"

"Huh?"

"Didn't you say you liked long hair, hm!? Why are you trying to impress her?" he shamelessly spat. Sometimes one couldn't just be patient with Tobi.

Obito smiled behind his mask.

"Are you afraid of Tobi's sex-appeal again, senpai?" He asked, faking a pathetically flirty tone.

"What?"

"Senpai sees Tobi as a competition!" He chuckled.

Deidara grunted; his temper about to explode. Or maybe it had already exploded.

"For your information, I am not interested at all in having a girlfriend or anything like that, hm!" The issue of his alleged heterosexuality, which Tobi had taken for granted, was what bothered him the most; although he himself was also to blame. He left false clues to get closer to him after the puzzling event of the graveyard.

That's good to know, Obito thought. If Deidara wasn't lying, the teenager's raging hormones would be one less issue to worry about. He just had to make sure.

"Well, I think that the waitress was ogling you, tehehe," he lied placing his arms behind his neck, attentive to his partner's reaction.

Deidara looked more annoyed than anything, but then a brief but deep look of indifference changed his countenance for a split second.

"I'm not interested in love, hm. There is no one worthy of me; only my art," Deidara also lied. For the first time, he felt bad about denying aloud how he felt about Tobi.

Yes, about Tobi. His life was already revolving around him, and it was not always pleasant. At least his art would not fail him, athough... although he had the delusional hope that Tobi never failed him, either.

Obito smiled, finally pleased. Deidara had passed the test. While under his wing, he would make sure that love didn't affect the powerful boy's performance, not until he had sealed at least most of the bijuu. Leaving that danger aside, perhaps Deidara's only emotional problems that needed to be controlled would be his recklessness and his constant living on the edge of life and death.

But for now, he would let it slip. Deidara could have reacted worse to One Thousand Years of Death and that deserved a reward. He could no longer claim that he disliked the "artist", so he tried to compose a friendly comment, which certainly did not come up as he would have liked.

"Oh, I forgot. Senpai likes short-haired brunettes. But, it seems that senpai will end up marrying a piece of clay, hehe."

Deidara nudged his shoulder, tutting. Both giggled mutely, shoulders shaking a bit. The truth was that Deidara's punches weren't proper punches anymore. It was difficult to restrain himself, he withdrew his hand in time before the nudge transformed into a caress, his hand-tongue twisting in a mute groan at being pulled away from the one he loved. Deidara didn't usually have a type of man he liked and he hadn't stopped to think about how he would react to the rest of the short-haired guys with black hair either. If he had to adjust the description to Tobi, that one was perfect, with corrections. Because he also liked him to be... So tall, he thought, taking a furtive glance at the way Tobi towered over him now that they were close to each other. It was odd but, it wasn't until he was right next to the mased man, when he could get a better estimate of his height. His tunic, his scarf, the padding on his arms, his broad back, prevented him from calculating how tall Tobi was under his bulky apparel. Sometimes Deidara even caught him walking hunched over, as if hiding his real height. Lost in those details that only he could care about, he stopped listening the idle chatter of his kohai; he could only think of those lips and teeth.

They had shared lunch. They had tried each other's favorite dishes. Deidara thought about Tobi biting the bakudan in front of him, as naturally as if they had known each other since always. For the first time, he was showing him... trust.

"Oh? Senpai, what's the reason for that silly smile?"

At least for that time, there would be no katsu, Deidara decided with a rush of joy. Tobi trusted him more, even though it was just a little bit more than the previous week. And that, somehow was enough for someone who was never content with anything.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bakudan is Deidara's favorite food. I don't know it, nor do I know how it smells. However, I read that it can be garnished with fermented beans. Then it occurred to me, that Deidara ordered his bakudan with natto. A very special way to ferment beans that is quite... controversial in Japan (look on Mr. Internet). Being a food with such a reputation, I decided on my own that Dei asked for something like that. I guess it suits him. Not only is his favorite food usually shaped like a bomb and it can mean "bombs" (crazy boy), but I also decided he would order the strongest version of the dish. If I had to write about them kissing, I wouldn't make him eat fermented beans. Deidara is controversial in every aspect and I was clearly going to put him on the side of natto eaters. Because of the characteristic smell they say it has, I made Obito a bit grossed out about it. Yes, he shares favorite food, inarizushi, with Madara.


End file.
